Ma’laysia Martin
Los Angeles City College

Art statement:

My art strives to add more of a positive representation of Black People in the art world. I was tired of seeing stereotypical pieces. It is a lot of ‘fight the power” and “strong black women/men”. There’s a constant picture of us being in “fight or flight” mode. I feel that we shouldn’t be portrayed as strong, restless warriors all the time. We need to rest for the sake of our mental health. We can be gentle and sensitive, too. So I painted us in our most relaxed and happy spaces.