Eilen Itzel Mena is an Afro-Dominican American artist, writer, and community organiser from the South Bronx, New York. She holds a BFA from the USC Roski School of Art & Design in Los Angeles and an MFA in Painting from the UCL Slade School of Fine Arts in London. Her work has been exhibited internationally, supported by numerous residencies, grants, and awards, most recently the Adrian Carruthers Studio Prize for her Slade MFA Degree Show presentation. She is currently an artist-in-residence at ACME’s Early Careers Programme in London.

Eilen spoke to Kildine de Saint Hilaire about how her practice navigates themes of joy, purpose, community, ancestry, and colonial history within the African Diaspora and Latin America. She shared her reflections on building meaningful connections through her art and social practice, and on her role as a creative collaborator for Honey and Smoke, a global platform fostering artist-led inquiry into the pressing themes of our time.

Looking ahead, Eilen hopes to deepen her engagement with communities and histories that inform her work, continuing to explore art as a space for dialogue, healing, and collective imagination.