Terranceism
Terranceism is the creative alias of Terrance Vann, a US-based multidisciplinary artist, muralist, and visual storyteller whose vivid practice sits at the intersection of Afro-Surrealism, emotional truth, and cultural commentary. His art is a powerful exploration of identity, mental health, and empowerment, all rooted in the richness of the Black experience. Through dynamic compositions and deeply layered narratives, Terrance creates more than visuals he builds portals into inner and collective worlds.
Working across painting, large-scale murals, digital design, and mixed media, Terranceism’s practice is as expansive as his subject matter. His works are instantly recognisable: bold, charged with colour, and always emotionally resonant. Inspired by the vibrancy of Black culture and the complexities of lived experience, Terrance paints with purpose blending form and feeling to spark connection, healing, and self-reflection.
His signature style, Afro-Surrealist Expressionism pushes beyond the boundaries of traditional portraiture and symbolism. Faces become masks of resilience, shapes bend with emotion, and colours hum with inner life. It’s art that holds space for vulnerability and strength in equal measure, reflecting the nuances of Black identity in a world that often seeks to flatten it. His compositions speak in dualities: joy and grief, power and pain, presence and transcendence.
At the core of Terrance’s work is mental health advocacy and self-empowerment. By translating internal struggles and triumphs into bold visual language, he destigmatizes emotional complexity especially within Black communities and invites viewers to feel seen. His pieces often act as affirmations, layered with symbolism and protective energy. Each figure, scene, and stroke is a celebration of survival, self-definition, and the sacred act of imagining more.
As a muralist, Terranceism brings art into public spaces with urgency and beauty. His large-scale works transform cityscapes into living canvases of visibility and pride. These community-rooted projects go beyond aesthetics. they build bridges, ignite dialogue, and reclaim space. His murals breathe life into walls, turning them into monuments to creativity, culture, and community care.
Over the years, Terrance has exhibited across the United States, collaborated with cultural institutions and global brands, and contributed to youth art initiatives and mental wellness campaigns. Whether through gallery work or street art, his mission remains the same: to create visual stories that reflect real people, real emotions, and real power.
Under the name Terranceism, Terrance Vann has carved out a space where Black imagination meets radical self-expression. His work doesn’t just ask to be looked at, it asks to be felt. It reminds us that art can be both mirror and medicine, that boldness and introspection are not opposites, and that telling our stories unfiltered and full-colour is a revolutionary act.
Terranceism is more than an aesthetic. It’s a movement. A mindset. A reminder that we are multidimensional, magical, and worthy of being seen in every shade of our truth.
Terranceism was a featured artist as part of the Creative Debuts showcase ‘The Anti Art Fair’
