Lamarra Haynes
The Black Athena

Lamarra Haynes (she/her/hers) is a visual artist committed to celebrating the beauty and complexity of Black identity through mixed media. Drawing inspiration from the vastness of Blackness, her work illuminates narratives often overlooked in mainstream spaces, creating vibrant pieces that honor resilience, culture, and connection.

Employing a bold, maximalist approach, Lamarra infuses each piece with dynamic compositions and vivid colors, often extending the artwork onto the mat to create a complementary yet distinct element. This technique reflects the layered and interconnected nature of the stories she tells, transforming each piece into an immersive experience.

Lamarra creates art for herself, believing that the specificity of her creations allows others to find resonance and meaning within them.

Artist Statement: My work is driven by the pursuit of creating beauty. I focus on drawing Black people because Blackness, to me, is the most expansive identity—radiantly beautiful yet consistently maligned and disregarded. Through my art, I celebrate its complexity and inherent value, creating a space where it is both seen and revered.

In The Black Athena, I explore how ideas travel from my mind to the mediums I use. Inspired by the myth of Athena, who leapt fully formed from Zeus’s forehead, this exhibit reflects my creative process—how thoughts are born, transformed, and realized into visual form. Each piece is an extension of this journey, embodying the raw, uncontainable energy of inspiration while grounding it in the profound beauty of Blackness.

Through these pieces, I hope to connect viewers to the power of ideas, the beauty of Blackness, and the endless possibilities of artistic expression.

Instagram: lamarra.a.maker