- details from lebensfreude (zyklus) / joy of life (cycle), butterfly effect series commission; mixed media on canvas – for more please see ‘painting’ ©joannalayla 2012
butterfly effect
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—joannalayla
illustrator – artist – image-maker
‘listening’ – Group Show, Shoreditch
‘listening’; from a series of portraits of Londoners of Chinese descent to be exhibited as part of a group show at Juno, Shoreditch in January 2013; acrylic and oli on canvas ©joannalayla 2012
Sweet ‘Art Presents: Show #1
‘white wash’ (Daria)
I met Daria in the Carrefour slums of Haiti – the eldest child in a family living amidst a sea of tarpaulin. As she spoke to me, with one hand she restrained her other clenched fist – anger and responsibility written in a single gesture. My chalk portrait seemed to be the only record of her story – here half remembered in the original trace of chalk. This piece plays with the idea that when poverty, race and sex conspire the female narrative is whitewashed from history save for the insubstantial mark of paint.
I will be exhibiting this and another painting at Sweet ‘Art Presents: Show #1 in March 2013 – for more information please see http://www.wearesweetart.com/Sweet-Art-Presents-Show-1
acrylic, chalk, ink on canvas ©joannalayla 2012
Lyrix Organix artist residency canvas series
‘the phoenix of lewisham’ for the third date of the lyrix organix: relay tour as part of Showtime (Mayor of London presents London 2012 festival) at the Lewisham Big Screen on Blackheath on Saturday 11th August, I wanted to pay tribute to the Lewisham legend that is Sybil Phoenix – the first black woman to receive an MBE and who has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of vulnerable girls and women in Lewisham. I created a phoenix of a headdress to reflect both her power, beauty and inspirational attitude…to see the series of all 11 canvases created over the summer, please see my blog and click on the July and August posts http://joannalayla.blogspot.co.uk/
©joannalayla 2012
Whitecross Street Festival, Islington
‘Lady of the Hood’ (part one) …for the second date on the lyrix organix: relay tour – as part of Showtime (Mayor of London presents London 2012 festival) at the Whitecross Street Festival in Islington on Saturday 21st July, I created a mural as a live backdrop to the show with Masai… I created an image inspired by Zee Gachette’s song ‘Lady of the Hood’ which features in the show… a girl who lives on the streets, owns the streets and dreams of the streets… in my piece she wears the crown of the streets…©joannalayla 2012
for photos of the work in progress please see ‘murals’ on this website and my blog http://joannalayla.blogspot.co.uk/
lyrix organix: relay tour live canvas – Kingston
‘kingston swan children’ – for the first date on the lyrix organix: relay tour – as part of Showtime (Mayor of London presents London 2012 festival) at the IYAF festival in Kingston on Saturday 21st July – the beautiful and talented artist Melissa Launay and I created a mural as a live backdrop to the show… I dreamt up the origins of Kingston through two swan children…a jamaican kingston child and a british kingston child bringing two worlds together in unity ©joannalayla 2012
to see photos of the live mural being created – see the ‘murals’ page on this website and also my blog http://joannalayla.blogspot.co.uk/
hackney wick x restless beings x lyrix organix: relay canvas
hackney wick x restless beings x lyrix organix: relay canvas -
for the Lyrix Organix: Relay launch at The Yard in Hackney Wick I created a live canvas of restless beings – inhabitants of the wick who make the this creative playground in the shadow of the olympic stadium such a vibrant community… ©joannalayla 2012
see ‘murals’ on this website and my blog for more on this live canvas… http://joannalayla.blogspot.co.uk/
‘restless being’… I incorporated this eight year old girl that Rahima of Restless Beings met in Dhaka four years ago into the canvas… Restless Beings will be using this piece later in the year… for more see http://www.restlessbeings.org/
butterfly effect
‘butterfly effect’ (mixed media work in progress)….a single paper cut butterfly clinging on to its chrysalis – epitomising a haitian woman I met clinging on to the memory of home; work in progress ©joannalayla 2012
please see ‘painting’ on this website and my blog for more on the ‘butterfly effect’ series – http://joannalayla.blogspot.co.uk/
haiti sketchbook
‘Dasha’, a drawing from my Haiti sketchbook ©joannalayla 2012
for more on the pieces I have developed from the sketchbooks I made in Haiti, see my blog http://joannalayla.blogspot.co.uk/
idea for editorial, 2012
