ABOUT KALIKA ROSE

Kalika Rose is a St. Louis-based oil painter whose practice is rooted in storytelling and transformation. Through bold portraiture, she explores themes of empowerment, identity, faith, and healing, inviting viewers to reflect on both personal and collective narratives.

Her body of work spans multiple series: Character Flaws reclaims labels often used against women and turns them into sources of empowerment; Mended reflects on healing and resilience, informed by her experience as a nurse; What Are You? examines her own struggles with belonging and identity as a biracial woman; and Women in the Word reimagines biblical women in contemporary contexts, paired with interviews with women from her community whose lives reflect the same themes of grace, redemption, and belonging.

Her paintings have been exhibited at Art St. Louis, Heartland Art Club, and St. Louis Artist’s Guild. In 2025, she was awarded Best in Show at Art St. Louis’s Gasp exhibition, accepted into Artist INC, and received a RAC Artist Support Grant to further her Women in the Word series.

Beyond painting, Kalika builds community through collaborative events like the Garden Art Party and volunteers with Heartland Art Club. She believes deeply in the creative potential of St. Louis, challenging the notion that artists must leave for New York or Los Angeles to succeed. Her long-term vision is to open her own gallery and studio—a space that not only showcases her practice, but also uplifts and supports the next generation of artists in her city.