Latina Artists Fighting Injustice and Uplifting Latinx Culture
Frida Kahlo said “I don’t paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality” and that’s what the Latina artists on the list are doing
Photo: Instagram/favianna1
Frida Kahlo said “I don’t paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality” and that’s what the Latina artists on the list are doing. Art has long been a form of addressing social and political issues and with the current political climate it’s not surprising to find art responding to injustices. These mujeres are known for uplifting Latinas and the issues important to our comunidad and this year they’ll continue to make strides in the art world.
Favianna Rodriguez
Rodriguez is a triple threat: an artist, activist and advocate whose documentary “Migration is Beautiful” was featured on Pharrell Williams’ I Am Other Youtube channel. The U.S.-born Peruvian’s art ”serves as a tool for love, education, agitation, and social justice.”
She’s also the co-curator of Into Action, a nine-day art festival starting in January and will undoubtedly have exciting projects in the works after several art commissions including in books, magazines and galleries.
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Vanessa Ayala
The 27-year-old of Colombian descent is a versatile artist whose bright and colorful portraits have garnered her a strong following on Instagram.
Her pop art portraits of Selena, Frida Kahlo and Cardi B are neon rainbow-colored odes to the icons but she does more than just paint, she’s also a singer/songwriter and designs a fashion line, 2 Strong Fashion. She’s currently prepping for a listening party/art show.
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Nanibah Chacon
Chacon is no stranger to acclaim for her female-centric art focusing on native, Chicana, and American cultures. The Diné/Xicana artist from New Mexico just got through her Ephemeral String installation created at the Banff Center as the resident artist in Canada.
She’s a muralist who created “Resistance,” the largest mural in New Mexico and for the last 20 years has been working on murals after starting out as a graffiti writer.
She works as an art teacher in Albuquerque and works on projects centered around women’s justice.
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Stefanie Godoy
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdcLIAon7t-/?taken-by=stephaniegodoyart
Godoy is currently working toward her bachelor’s in Studio Arts at California State University Los Angeles and teaches art at a middle school in East L.A.
Her work has been showcased in galleries but now she’s moving from the canvas to clothes recently announcing on Instagram that she’s working on a collection of “wearable art”.
“When I paint, it is my chance to add more beauty to this world. I get tired of seeing all the shades of grays, browns and other neutrals in LA. When I paint, I paint a world I wish to see. I paint the world how it ought to be, explosive with colors and filled with excitement” she wrote in a blog post.
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Colectiva Cósmica
Unidas in their love of art, this Latina feminist art collective is all about artivism and made up of six women. Their bio describes the platform that supports art by those “with alternative backgrounds who are not represented in the established art world or artistic communities.” They recently released their second zine “Manitas” featuring the work from their art show of the same name in NYC. These poderosa femmes will likely be at the upcoming Women of Color in Solidarity conference and you can find more of their work in their Etsy shop.
