Shirien Damra | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1987 (age 36–37) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | DePaul University |
| Occupation(s) | illustrator, designer, social movement activist |
| Website | www |
Shirien Damra (born c. 1987)[1] is an American illustrator, designer, artist, and activist.[2][3] She is known for her illustrations in support of social justice movements including the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, and support of the LGBT community, immigration, Indigenous rights, and Palestine.[4][5][6] Her work has had power through viral sharing (via social media), and has been noted as a newer form of activism.[5][7][8][9]
Early life and education
Shirien Damra was born in 1987 in Chicago, to Muslim parents that are Palestinian refugees.[10][1] She knew about injustice and racism from her childhood.[11]
Damra attended DePaul University, where she received a bachelor's degree and master's degree in sociology. In 2015, she was diagnosed with cancer and she had to take a break from her advocacy work.[1] In 2019, she started posting images on instagram.[7]
Career
Damra's George Floyd portrait (2020) was a tribute and was created using soft colors and featured his bust with eyes closed, and ringed in a wreath of flowers.[4][12] Her portrait of Floyd went viral after she had posted it on instagram, and resulted in more than 3.4 million "likes".[4][5] The Floyd portrait image was projected on the front of Grace Cathedral (2020) in San Francisco;[13] and painted as a mural in Raleigh, North Carolina.[10] Other tribute portraits by Damra made in solidarity with BLM have included Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.[10] All of the Damra portraits have their eyes closed, this is a reference to inward reflection and a style found in Eastern art.[10] Damra was commissioned by the Georgia's NAACP chapter for her Ahmaud Arbery portrait.[8] Additionally there is a community of other artists that created BLM-related social media-based viral work in 2020, including Nikkolas Smith, Stormy Nesbit, Dani Coke, Robin Hilkey, and Miriam Mosqueda.[14][15]
In 2021, design consultancy Matter Unlimited and Damra designed a Washington, D.C. 4th Ward community mural in celebration of "Immigrant Day of Resilience".[6]
Her work is included in the traveling art exhibition, "Ye Shall Inherit the Earth and Faces of the Divine”.[10]
Criticism
Damra's work has been criticized and dismissed for being performative and overly focused on aesthetics.[7] Some claim social media platforms such as instagram has changed how people address activism, and has created a lack of consistency in protest.[7]
References
- ^ a b c Feller, Madison (2020-05-28). "The Artist Behind Those Powerful Portraits You Keep Sharing on Instagram". Elle. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ Walling, Carrie Booth (2022-02-17). Human Rights and Justice for All: Demanding Dignity in the United States and Around the World. Routledge. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-000-53680-5.
- ^ Tovey, Russell; Diament, Robert (2021-05-18). Talk Art: Everything You Wanted to Know About Contemporary Art but Were Afraid to Ask. Chronicle Books. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-7972-1518-1.
- ^ a b c Borrelli, Christopher (4 June 2020). "Chicago artists use boarded-up storefronts to make a creative statement and make a difference". ChicagoTribune.com. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ a b c "How viral Instagram tributes to George Floyd use art to spread a movement". Los Angeles Times. 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ a b "Artist Shirien Damra's moving mural marks America's first 'Immigrant Day of Resilience'". Creative Boom. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ a b c d Corbett, Erin (May 25, 2021). "The Aesthetics Of Activism: How Instagram Changed Protesting". Refinery29.com. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ a b Easter, Makeda (June 4, 2020). "How viral Instagram tributes to George Floyd use art to spread a movement". Californians for the Arts. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ "How Artists Can Instigate Social Change, According to a New Guide". KQED. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Presa, Laura (2020-08-10). "Meet Shirien Damra, The Palestinian Illustrator Behind Our New Cover". Advocate.com. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ Sostre, Safire R. (Spring 2021). "Social Justice Illustrator Shirien Damra Re-envisions A Better Future Through Ar". Bust.com. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ Pellerin, Ananda (June 12, 2020). "'My emotions were so raw': The people creating art to remember George Floyd". CNN. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ "Despite complications and curfews, San Francisco's Grace Cathedral uses art to commemorate George Floyd". Los Angeles Times. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ McGrath, Kara (2020-06-02). "The People Behind the BLM Art You're Seeing on Instagram". Allure. Condé Nast. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ "'Art Can Touch Our Emotional Core.' Meet the Artists Behind Some of the Most Widespread Images Amid George Floyd Protests". Time. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
This page was last edited on 13 January 2024, at 04:16