Laika M Taddei is a Citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and works within the realms of Sequential Storytelling. Born in the San Francisco East Bay, Laika has lived in Los Angeles, Perth, Australia, and has found their way to Olympia pursuing a higher education in storytelling.
Laika has a background in Animation, Graphic Novel storytelling, and illustration, with a focus on personal storytelling at the core of their work. Sourcing from memories, hypnopompic states, dreams, and cultural symbols, Laika transmutates trauma into artwork focused on resilience and hope. Bright neon colors reveal hidden truths and revelations upon black backgrounds to accentuate the dreamlike atmosphere of their work. Rabbits, snakes, suns, moons, and hope are all common themes found within the compositions of Laika's work. Ink, Acrylic, and digital mediums are common tools that Laika works with along with occasional water colors to produce their work. Recently, they have been dipping their toes into beadwork and is having an amazing time discovering techniques and creating designs that further their understanding of Choctaw history and culture.
Laika uses art as a spiritual outlet as well, focusing spiritual energy into the creation of each piece. Art making has become an innate practice to maintain spiritual health for the artist, and is the reason that they produce so much work.
Strong storytelling is at the core of Laika's work, as they are descended from orators and storytellers on their Choctaw and their New Mexican Hispanic side. Being raised within a storytelling household, Laika has had the importance of telling a compelling story and how stories and narrative shape reality and what we tell ourselves as humans. Laika continues to carry the traditions of their ancestors through the centuries by continuing to tell stories that aim to teach and enlighten people to real world issues.
Laika is very active within the Pacific Northwest South Eastern Native community, where they engage in organizing and cultural outreach to other South Eastern Tribal members. They work diligently to revitalize cultural practices and language through community engagement.
Laika is a designated California Art Scholar in the field of Animation and has studied at California Institute of the Arts. Mentors included in Laika's education are Animators Masha Vasilkovsky, Linda Dorn, and Devon Damonte. They have previously shown work at the Thurston County Museum of Fine arts, and at the Olympia Lamplighters art Gallery with major success. Laika studies at The Evergreen State College where they are pursuing a degree in sequential storytelling. Currently Laika is working on a graphic novel about their experience going missing in Mesa, Arizona at the beginning of the covid pandemic.
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Olympia, WA
