BK Durham (b. 1974) is a social worker and self-taught mixed media collage artist based in Decatur, Georgia. She paints intuitively then combines personal photographs, found images and torn papers, creating curious and evocative work. Her process often culminates in textured surreal portraits and unique creature-like figures that appear to exist in a space outside of boundaries and definitions. These forms emerge from her subconscious presenting themselves to be seen and considered. As a queer person born in the Mississippi Delta and raised between there and the Florida panhandle, she draws from her experiences of this time and region exploring identity, desire, memory, and most recently her own family history.

In 2013 BK began making visual art as a form of private self-expression. The energetic release through the movement and manipulation of materials fostered agency during a time of personal awakening and transition. In 2023, BK began creating art in earnest and decided to share her work more publicly when a local perfumery, Othús, invited her to collaborate on the packaging for its new line, Ode to the South. Since then, she has exhibited her work in several local and regional group shows, most recently in Sing the Body Electric presented by the John Burton Harter Foundation at the University of New Orleans St. Claude Gallery.

BK’s art and emerging practice continue to evolve as she explores new ideas and techniques. Currently she is incorporating collage elements from her personal family archive, manipulating images and ephemera as a way to further connect with her history and complex generational experiences.