Ebony was murdered.
My rebellion has always been to speak my truth through my art.
In indigenous cultures, we believe that spirits can only see the color red. The possible never-ending painting series I began in 2020 is currently up to 90 portraits to raise awareness about the missing and murdered indigenous people's crisis. Each is a victim, survivor, activist, or family member of someone who is missing or was murdered and they are all painted in black and white with red being the only visible color. I paint them the way the spirits would see them call the spirits home.
This project began as catharsis for personal experiences, as most of my work is. However, it has evolved into being about healing and medicine for my people. Families now come to me and I paint them or they are loved on for free and give them free prints and exhibit the originals to raise awareness and spark change. I always have a queue of at least 30 and don't see an end for this project in sight. nayanaarts.com for more informatio
