We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dario Mohr. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dario below.

Dario, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I believe my most recent project; Happy Planting Day is my most meaningful to date.

My Happy Planting Day workshops highlight diverse African traditions of honoring ancestors which are at risk due to the legacy of the slave trade and colonization. We are also witnessing a profound paradigm shift due to a rapidly shrinking world due to globally accessible platforms such as AI and social media, reshaping society. As these events propel us into the future, there is a need to cultivate what is left of Indigenous traditions.. I have witnessed my Happy Planting Day workshops inspire joy, catharsis for everyday people to actively explore and preserve this tradition, as it is their individual experiences that activate this ritual and provide them authentic buy-in. My experience as a New York State Certified Art Teacher and Adjunct Art Professor at Guttman Community College has primed me to present these participatory engagements.

I’ve carried out the Happy Planting Day Workshop at several public places including:
Card Entries from previous planting ceremony were collected from:

Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts [EFA]
Bronx Museum
Old Stone House Brooklyn
Lewis Latimer House Museum
Tafaria Castle, Kenya
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Climate Museum
NYC Audubon
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council [LMCC]
AnkhLave Arts Alliance
ArtCrawl Harlem
Wave Hill

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Art is more than an object to possess or a fleeting memory to treasure. For me it is an act of alchemy—bringing forth the unconscious and conscious intentions of the artist to shape the viewer, the environment, and the spirit of the times. Through prayer, meditation and initiation through public presentation, I create my work to serve as sacred objects to bewitch the viewer, imbuing wonder and curiosity surrounding the themes present. My artistic purpose is to use this power responsibly to advocate for the preservation and revival of endangered indigenous traditions that serve the higher good, particularly those rooted in the African continent where my ancestors originate.
Central to my work is the practice of ancestor veneration, a vital tradition that connects the living to their heritage, offering guidance and preserving wisdom. Across cultures—from Mexican ofrendas for Día de los Muertos to Vietnamese ancestral altars to the profound ancestor worship traditions across Africa—rituals honoring those who came before remind us of our shared humanity and collective legacy. In a world increasingly shaped by globalization, the internet, and social media, these practices are at risk of being forgotten. Yet their relevance remains universal; we all have ancestors, and creating spaces to reflect on and honor them keeps their stories, wisdom, and traditions alive in a rapidly changing world.
To combat this erasure, I create reverent spaces through paintings, sculptures, immersive installations, and large-scale public works. The latter serve as monuments for reflection and platforms for engagement. I activate these spaces through rituals like the “Happy Planting Day Holiday and Planting Ceremony,” where participants honor their ancestors through an African Daisy seed paper greeting card workshop where audiences write messages to ancestors and loved ones who passed on to bring new life into the world in their memory.
The discovery of my Akan and Ga-Adangbe tribal ancestry in 2022, with distant Nigerian roots, marked a reclamation of identity lost to the transatlantic slave trade. While the Akan are renowned for cultural symbols like Adinkra and Kente Cloth, the Ga-Adangbe’s Samai language system has largely faded due to globalization. This loss inspired me to create spaces for people of all backgrounds to connect with their heritage, honor ancestors, and reflect on indigenous traditions at risk of disappearing.
For too long, indigenous works if presented at all have been confined to the ethnographic wings of museums, excluded from the mainstream art dialogue. I lead by example, creating paths for BIPOC artists to celebrate their indigenous heritage through contemporary art. In 2018, I founded AnkhLave Arts Alliance, a nonprofit showcasing BIPOC artists in community spaces, challenging their exclusion from mainstream art and traditional galleries.
I champion other artists by creating opportunities to follow paths I’ve paved. In 2023, I performed my Happy Planting Day workshop in Brooklyn and planted entries beneath public sculptures in Kenya during my residency at Tafaria Castle, later bringing the workshop to the Bronx under a sister monument at Wave Hill. In 2025, AnkhLave will host its first international artist exchange exhibition at Tafaria Castle, connecting U.S. and Kenyan artists through public sculptures and murals. These initiatives, including the 7th AnkhLave Garden Project which will take place at Tafaria Castle in 2025, reflect my commitment to preserving ancestral heritage and bridging traditions with contemporary narratives across borders.
My mission is to trailblaze—to amplify the knowledge of indigenous traditions and ensure they are not lost in the march of technological progress. I work to ground society in these cultural roots, showing their relevance in contemporary life. My declaration is to honor the past, engage the present, and inspire the future through art that connects, preserves, and propels us toward a more mindful and inclusive world.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Continuing Indigenous traditions that are at risk of dying out. This is my intention for my artwork, Happy Planting Day Workshops, and their corresponding public monument, and the non profit organization I founded:

Ankhlave Arts Alliance is a NYC-based nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing BIPOC artists in the contemporary art realm. Through our annual programming, including the AnkhLave Garden Project Fellowship, Curator in Residence, and Public Artist in Residence, we provide platforms for artistic expression and exchange. We believe in the transformative power of art as a catalyst for difficult conversations, fostering dialogue between diverse communities.

Our mission extends beyond traditional gallery spaces, as we strive to present programming in alternative public spaces within BIPOC communities. By doing so, we honor the Indigenous heritage of many BIPOC people and their diverse creative expressions, which encompass outdoor sculptures, performances, and displays in nature. Transforming spaces like botanical and community gardens into unexpected exhibition venues inspires curiosity and inclusivity.

We recognize the historical marginalization experienced by many communities within the BIPOC umbrella due to colonialism, where their homeland’s artworks were taken and exhibited for non-BIPOC audiences. This disconnection can lead to a sense of otherness. Additionally, art history has traditionally been authored through the European gaze, omitting diverse experiences and perspectives from around the world. While contemporary art is gradually becoming more inclusive, there remains a need for increased representation to ensure BIPOC audience members feel included in the broader contemporary art discourse.

We believe that the most effective way to elevate BIPOC voices and the communities they represent is by bringing their artwork to the people in unexpected and accessible public spaces. By doing so, we maximize community engagement, foster nuanced perspectives, and work towards greater equity within society’s cultural fabric.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Changing minds and hearts, mainly around heritage and investment in traditions at risk of dying out,

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.DarioMohr.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dariomohr_art/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063487569769
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dario-mohr-63b91443?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Image Credits

Dario Mohr