For more than 20 years, Charity Hamidullah worked as a professional tattoo artist, creating intricate designs on an intimate scale.
But over time, her artistic vision grew. The Atlanta artist turned to mural-making and public art in search of something larger and bolder.
“I wanted a bigger canvas,” said Hamidullah. “And to tell bigger stories for bigger spaces.”
Artist: Born and raised in Rochester, NY, Hamidullah grew up in a creative family. She attended a high school with a strong arts program and was encouraged by several art teachers to pursue her craft.
AT age 15, she began working as a tattoo apprentice. When Hamidullah believed she couldn’t go any higher in her craft in Rochester, she moved to Atlanta in 2010 and started working at the legendary City of Ink tattoo shop in Castleberry Hill.
Being surrounded by tattoo artists, painters, sculptors and muralists changed my understanding of what was possible,” said Hamidullah. “That environment reignited my studio practice and eventually led me into large-scale mural work and public art.”
Company/studio: Charity Made It, the artist’s multidisciplinary practice, is based in Atlanta. Her current studio is located in Midtown through the Midtown Alliance Heart of the Arts Artist-in-Residence program.
“I love the openness of the space – the natural light, the room to grow and the daily creative dialogue I share with fellow resident artist Nicole Kang Ahn,” said Hamidullah. “It is a place of becoming, experimentation and community.”
Art & materials: Materials for smaller works vary depending on the story she is telling. Collages and layered mixed-media works use fabric, thread, glass, paint, cardboard, photography, recycled materials and found objects ($100 to $5,500).
For murals, she uses primarily spray paint in bold colors ($5,000 to $200,000).
Main themes: Empowerment, love, growth and home.
Favorite or must-have tools:
- A sewing kit.
- Spray paint.
- Large brushes.
- Unique paper. “I enjoy handmade papers from all around the world and even random pieces of found paper that have been worn and used,” she said.
Inspiration: The city of Atlanta — its people, neighborhoods, rhythms–and its evolving creative landscape.
By the numbers:
- First paid mural: For a print shop (no longer there) in Midtown Atlanta.
- 30-plus. Total number of murals in Georgia. Most are in Atlanta, but Columbus and Griffin have murals too.
Recent project: A live painting in the concourse of State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta. The painting, “Fly Above,” was commissioned by the Atlanta Hawks and Georgia Natural Gas for Black History Month.
Special commissions:
- “Wildseed Wildflower,” a 10,000-square-foot mural with living walls connected to the 2026 FIFA World Cup cultural programming in Atlanta.
The mural is located in Mechanicsville, a neighborhood where Hamidullah painted some of her earliest murals.
- H.O.P.E. mural outside the Highside Market, the first food hall, in Columbus, GA. H.O.P.E. stands for: for Harmony, Optimism, Perseverance, and Excellence. At the time (2023), it was her first commission on that scale outside Atlanta.
Honors:
- Gained recognition with an exhibition at the Atlanta Contemporary art center in collaboration with ARTiculate ATL, a non-profit arts group. and the Atlanta Ballet. 2024.
- Named one of six Atlanta creatives to watch by ArtsATL, a non-profit group covering the arts. 2024.
Current exhibit: “EmpowerHER,” a group show of women artists at the Emma Darnell Aviation Museum & Conference Center, Atlanta, GA. Through April 25.
What’s next: More murals for:
- The Georgia World Congress Center
- An apartment complex
- A 10,000 square foot mural on a retaining wall on Windsor Street in downtown Atlanta.
What’s next:
- A group show with Artful ATL, Atlanta Contemporary art center. June 13.
- An exhibition at Spruill Gallery in Dunwoody, GA, with Masela Nkolo and Sayma Hossain. May 7-June 19.
- Expanding her art practice into fiber-based works and exploring three-dimensional sculptural possibilities.
Where to buy: Contact the artist at charitymadeit@gmail.com to schedule a studio visit.
Connect:
- Instagram: @charitymadeit
- Website: charitymadeit.com
