• Banyan tree, Hugh Taylor Birch State Park 3109 E. Sunrise Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL
What is that (Under her Blue)
Proposal
Lopez proposes, What is that, a ritualistic, site-specific installation in nature to explore some of the traumas concerning Black women within the current climate of the pandemic and racial reckoning as a significant tool in the world. Lopez states “I am a mother, an artist, a healer and a safe space for community engagement, an advocate for human rights and justice.” The installation will be built and documented at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park or a similar location. The intention of this work is to bring awareness to the inequity and socially underserved in communities of color. “We struggle because of not having what it takes to advance. We struggle in silence because the world needs for us to be strong. This piece will be an attempt to make space for all that is broken within me, within the world, to share it with nature as I share a silent prayer for strength for us all.”
Biography
Niki Lopez is an Afro-Latina, Queer, interdisciplinary visual artist, activist, social practitioner, cultural programmer, explorer and art teacher. Lopez is best known for her vibrant color palette, masks and a collection of works dealing with some of her trauma and healing through the arts. She is the founder of “What’s Your Elephant,” a movement that creates a safe space and uses the arts to address the unspoken.