Maya Sumile

Maya Sumile graduated with her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art from James Madison University in the spring of 2025. She is currently attending American University to pursue her Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art. In moving between multiple disciplines, she creates mystical work that gives visual representation to the stories that fill silences.

Sumile combines elements from many influences to create enigmatic narratives. Her work is influenced by the representation of the human condition through myths and storytelling in Romanticism, especially referencing Henry Fuseli and Théodore Géricault. Much of Sumile’s work has ties to Gothic literature, namely Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson, which inform her use of symbolism, forms, and light to emulate the uncanny nature of her stories.


Artist Statement

My identity is the source of my work — from the complexity of outward-facing personas to the most vulnerable facets of my being. Through the introspection involved in self-portraiture, I sort through the worst parts of myself and humanity in order to create work that balances dread and serenity. With the incorporation of imagery from old stories and my nightmares, I create objects and environments that exist in between the tangible and intangible theories of human existence that have been explored for centuries.


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