Esteban Samayoa Paints the Art of Surviving

Though not every artist is from “the struggle,” anyone who’s ever survived tough times is inherently a creative person.

That notion is at the heart of Esteban Raheem Abdul Raheem Samayoa’s artwork. A visual artist from Sacramento who lives in Oakland, Samayoa’s pieces depict ethereal images of lowriders on Daytons, dogs barking, tatted homies, smiling kids, Black revolutionaries and Brown pride.

On March 22, a solo exhibition of Samayoa’s work, titled Blood Be Water, opens at the Institute of Contemporary Art San José.

“It’s a lot of storytelling,” Samayoa says about his art. “And the beautiful thing about it is, it’s not just my story.”

A quiet kid who didn’t have much family support growing up, Samayoa leaned on neighbors and community members for structure. Those relationships broadened his perspective on life. “So I often tell a lot of these stories within my paintings that seem a little like nostalgic, and even have a spiritual presence,” he tells me during a recent phone conversation. “But it’s very universal, you know, something that a lot of people can relate to.”

What’s more relatable than creating out of necessity?

As a kid, Samayoa learned to make do with whatever he had. This resourcefulness, along with the influence of his community, formed his central philosophy. “Life in general is tough,” says Samayoa. “I always say that all people who survive anything… they’re all artists, because you have to think creatively to get to the next day or create something that will help you in the future.”

Lately, Samayoa’s work has grown from a means of survival to a mechanism for exploring his roots.

“I ventured off into doing a lot of oil and pastels on different surfaces like burlap, soil and plaster,” he says.

As a person of Mexican and Guatemalan ancestry, Samayoa sees using coffee sacks as a canvas — a nod to the robust coffee industry in Guatemala — as a way to further tap into his heritage.

The exhibition will feature 55 new original pieces, made of airbrush, charcoal and ceramics. Outside the gallery will be a night market with food trucks and vendors, and a prayer area for people observing the holy month of Ramadan.

Inside the building, one side of the gallery will show an assortment of black-and-white works, with a wall of color pieces on the other. A short documentary on Samayoa’s creative process will also be shown.

Samayoa’s hope is that folks pull up to the event, enjoy the art, soak up the stories and leave with a little more compassion for each other.

“I want people to open themselves up to one another. Because by doing that, you can see the possibilities that we all can do together,” Samayoa says.

“It’s not artists against artists,” he adds. “It’s artists against the world.”

Esteban Raheem Abdul Raheem Samayoa’s ‘Blood Be Water’ is on view at the Institute of Contemporary Art San José March 22–Aug. 24, 2025, with an opening reception on March 22.