FRONT AND CENTRE
A conversation with artist Laurena Fineus
By Christine Jean-Baptiste
Artwork from “Not My Hair” a digital art series by Laurena Finéus •
The first time I stumbled on Laurena’s art, I was scrolling through Instagram on the explore page. I saw a portrait of a black woman caressing another woman of colour on her lap, in the middle of a field near a stream of water. Natural elements of flowers and plants filled the frame.
The piece was part of the Not My Hair (digital art, 2017) series and it resonated with me on a personal level. Maybe it’s because she created a space where women of colour were front and centre, which is more than what I’m used to seeing. Or maybe it was the detail in the soft expression in the faces of the women that reminded me so much of the women I surround myself with every day. All I knew was that I had found one of my new favourite artists.
Laurena Finéus s a Caribbean-Canadian visual artist and fine arts student at the University of Ottawa. Her pieces explore self-identity, womanhood, and sexuality, in the hopes of empowering women of colour.
Artwork by Laurena Finéus •
Artwork from “Take Care” a digital art series by Laurena Finéus •
Artwork by Laurena Finéus •
*This interview has been edited for clarity.