What do you think of when you think of good art? Does it lift your spirits? Draw you deeper into the world of a creator you love? What form does it take? Is it a spoken word, a cracked face delicately outlined with egg-wash centuries old, or carved from ancient marble? Where does your sense of “art” come from? These are some of the questions borne of the conversation between smART Magazine and Kezna Dalz — AKA Teenadult — a multidisciplinary artist based in Montréal. At the core of her artistry is the power of the unintentional political act of being yourself. Her work is part of a swelling global tidal wave of artists on a collision course with the Western art canon, challenging notions of power in visual arts regarding class, race, and gender.

Entrancing the viewer with loose, energetic strokes pairing bright teals with luscious fuchsias, Dalz constructs a provocative neo-expressionist meditation. Within this visual feast, she is also serving themes of radical self-acceptance, feminism, sensuality, racial justice─on a platter of pop culture.

Working with murals, paintings, and digital and...