Layqa Nuna Yawar

Maravillosa (2020) by LNY, oil painting, figurative, indigenous healer portrait

2020

Layqa Nuna Yawar migrated from Ecuador to the USA at an early age. His art and life have been greatly impacted by the immigrant experience and by his own multicultural identity. His artwork developed out of a traditional visual arts education, a practice of street art interventions and independent self-organization principles. His public art aims to reflect and amplify silenced voices by using the power of monumental art and representational painting in public places in order to create safe spaces for imagination and identity projection. By creating murals with the involvement of host communities, these landmarks can help us imagine and create a better and brighter future. The artist’s practice also extends to curation, project production, mural making workshops and educational lectures. He is currently a fellow at Open Society Foundations, Next City's Vanguard Fellow and Co-Founder of ImVisible Newark. He has recently developed educational programming workshops with Philadelphia Mural Arts, Rutgers University, Casita Maria and Working Classrooms. He has exhibited at the Newark Museum, El Museo del Barrio, Urban Nation Berlin, Thinkspace Gallery, Shirin Gallery, Project for Empty Space, and Into Action LA among others.