MAURICE LEONI-OSION

MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST · MEMORY ARTICHIVIST · MUSIC PRODUCER · LYRICIST · CURATOR · ART PROGRAM DIRECTOR

ABOUT

Maurice Leoni-Osion is a Multidisciplinary Artist based in Richmond, Virginia. and Berlin, DE.  His primary research and work xplores a wide range of aural materials, from oral storytelling, lyrics, sampling, sound art & design, and music production, all a collective love in service of artchiving to preserve untold stories found between the "eyemaginariums" of our youth and the ancient "tecknowledegey" of our ancestors.

His work is inspired by individuals like television producer Marion Stokes, science fiction author Octavia Butler, and his grandmother’s vinyl collection, which served as my first introduction to music and a means of receiving stories through sound. These early recordings are where Osion first encountered how voices, instruments, artworks, and liner notes could creatively preserve memories and movements, shaping my listening as an active process of excavation and sound as a catalyst for conjuring lineage, identity, and connection.​​​​

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Alongside his solo practice, he has founded collaborative projects, including PhotoSynthesizers, an indie hip-hop and rock project active from 2009–2019 based in Richmond, Virginia; THE MEM, a cross-continental singer-songwriter duo based between Seattle, Washington, and Berlin, Germany; and For The Record (FTR), a start-up with a mission to facilitate the practice of collective remembering and place-based connectivity through music, storytelling, and outdoor audio gaming. These projects would lead him to gain recognition and shared stages and platforms with a broad spectrum of artists and organizations, including Snoop Dogg, Venture Richmond, Shabazz Palaces, SPARC, Big Freedia, VCU, De La Soul, OYOUN,
Phonte, Culture Works, Digable Planets, Shenandoah National Park, Jason Mraz, ICA Institute of Contemporary Arts, DJ Harrison, Selman, among others. 

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Paralleled with his artistic practice, Maurice serves as an Art Program Director and Facilitator, partnering with artists, arts organizations, and nonprofits to clarify vision and align ambitious projects with sustainable resources. With over a decade of experience, he designs and leads intergenerational artist development opportunities, including residencies, programs, workshops, and exhibitions, connecting organizational missions with artist goals to generate long-term community impact.