Ann Lewis (American, 1981) is best known for her politically charged and often uncommissioned take overs of public space. As a multidisciplinary activist artist using painting, installation, and participatory performance she explores themes related to American identity, power structures, and justice. The work often incorporates repetition through graphic elements, and a limited color palette while conveying messages around social justice issues such as gentrification, women’s rights, and police brutality. In early 2014 the artist garnered national media attention when she installed an oversized police tape banner that read ‘GENTRIFICATION IN PROGRESS’ at the former graffiti mecca 5 Pointz in Queens, New York. Her work was exhibited at the White House in the fall of 2015 during the Obama Administration’s reflection on mass incarceration and has been acquired by the New York Historical Society Museum and the US Library of Congress. Most recently she has been named a 2018 Artist-in-Residence at the Santa Fe Art Institute Residency for Equal Justice.
In an exclusive in depth interview with SAUS, Ann talks about everything, from her mural in Boston last year and her installation at the Moniker Art Fair in London next month, to her activism and the #metoo movement.
Hi Ann! Thanks for participating in the Street Art United States interview series. For any readers unfamiliar with you or your work, could you provide a brief description of what is it you do?
Sure- so I’m a public and activist artist which means I often harness our communal spaces to create work reflecting on the social and environmental issues of our time. My work is multi-disciplinary in nature which means I use a broad range of mediums to activate these discussions. I could be painting a mural one day, prepping an installation the next, and hosting a participatory performance the day after that.
What is your background?
I started making street art in 2008 after going to art school. I guess my work has always had an activist lens since the first stencil I ever cut was about the torturing of the Abu Gharib prisoners.
A lot of street artists started as graffiti writers, then developed their styles and became muralists. How was it for you starting up and what took you to the streets?
Starting as a street artist was unnerving but exhilarating. I got started by making work that protested the Bush Administration. There was hardly a social media space yet so I was venting in public in a very different way. The motivation was to bring to light issues that a lot of Americans were happy to sweep under the rug post-911. No one in my circles seemed concerned with accountability or the insane tortuous events that were happening in the name of “American freedom”. I couldn’t stand back and not speak up.
Not only are you an artist but also a feminist, and an activist for human rights and social injustice. Where did your activism originate from?
I always get asked this question- it seems to me the very obvious need for justice has always been within me- since I can remember. But I think what triggered my desire to act was my 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Mikel. One day she explained the deforestation of the Amazon- how many 100s of acres were being clear cut ever minute. The severity of that hit me hard as I grew up in the woods and understood the preciousness of the forest. From then on I wanted to be aware of everything that was negatively affecting our planet. Street art was my conduit for translating that rage into action and communication.
Last year you painted a Mural here in Boston for Now + There. Could you elaborate on this project, what was your experience like, and how do you hope passersby will interact with and interpret the piece?
See Her was an incredible opportunity to work with some truly amazing womxn. I partnered with Community Resources for Justice and did a Future Self collage workshop with some ladies who were transitioning out of prison. From their works I was inspired to create the 4 story mural that currently sits at Camden and Tremont.
The work hides within a maze the word Choice. That kept coming up in the ladies’ collages and it also got me thinking about how the outside world treats those who are or have been incarcerated. I wanted to pose the concept of reconsidering how one treats people, recognize the stigma, the inherent institutionalized racism within our criminal justice system, as well as the pervasive sexism that deeply affects womxn of color who are trying to put their lives back together after being incarcerated.
At this year’s Moniker Art Fair in London this October, you will be exploring the Syrian Refugee Crisis in an immersive installation. Could you tell us a little about the installation and what message are you hoping to get across?
Well as westerns I think most people in America and the UK often don’t think much about the atrocities on Syrian soil. I’ve created the work …and counting (Syria) to illustrate the daily death toll of children due to the conflict. A lot of my installation work is based on data and I like to humanize that information with concept-specific material that can help connect the dots.
What do you think of artists like Banksy who use their popularity to raise awareness on serious issues, namely, the Palestinian cause, among other issues?
Let’s just say I wish more artists/ celebrities would be active in changing the world. Everyone is too afraid of alienating those with $$$ lest it hurt their “brand” or their bottom line. Imagine how much further we would be as a society if people used their platforms for good?
When I moved to the USA a few years back, I couldn’t help but noticing the level of misinformation among people about the Middle East, especially the Israel/Palestine conflict, where the mainstream media and the government fervently support Israel.
From our conversations I learned that you are an ardent supporter of the Palestinian cause. Are you one of the few that educated themselves on the region? And what made you interested in learning about that part of the world?
I pay attention to most conflicts around the globe as my need to rectify injustice is kinda what keeps me breathing. Not to say I can do much to change things there but I like to be a well informed global citizen. I lived abroad in college and it fundamentally changed everything I understood about the world. If I can give one piece of advice to young people it’s not just to travel but to live long term somewhere else where you are an outsider in some sense whether it language, culture, or otherwise. Being in that space opens the mind and humbles the ego.
2017 was a monumental year as plenty of famous women broke their silence and spoke up on sexual harassment, it made women feel like they are not alone in this. We also saw the birth of movements like the #MeToo and Time’s Up. Some support these movement 100% and some think these movements only caters to the Hollywood and other high-profile industries. What is your opinion on these movements?
Well #metoo was started by Tarana Burke- but of course amplified by Hollywood. Sadly this country is still in a space where white women’s words are more valued by the media than the words of womxn of color. That’s shifting but too fucking slowly. Intersectional feminism is necessary if we’re truly going to raze the patriarchy. Also if you think the movement doesn’t include you, force it to make space for you. No one invited womxn to vote- they demanded it. No major social change has happened without people demanding it.
AMMurA is a new female street artists group that is standing up to the disparity in the street art scene in Argentina between men and women where over 90% of the commissioned walls are painted by men. My question to you is, do you feel the same disparity (more or less) here in the USA?
Oh my god yes absolutely. One wall comes to mind- The Bowery Houston Wall in New York. Of the 23 artists who have been given the honor of painting on this wall that was first done by Keith Haring only 3 have been women. 13%. Not only is it mostly white men, but every once in a while they throw in a self-described rapist for good measure. Just to be clear the art world in America is no beacon for equal pay or representation for women. It’s shifting, but again too fucking slowly.
Here’s an an op-ed I wrote last year about the Bowery Houston Wall.
Outside of the creative realm, away from screens, what activities occupy your time? Is it difficult to find a balance between “work” and “play”?
I do a lot of yoga to keep the rage at bay. It’s a pretty incredible tool. I work a lot, but everyone in this country works a lot. Traveling is a passion- I explore when I can.
Tell us something about you that would surprise our readers?
I don’t hate men
What can we look forward to seeing from you next? What projects do you have planned?
Aside from the installation at Moniker I’m working on a large scale mural in Pittsburgh, an installation for Luminaria in San Antonio, and a voter registration activation mural during Murals in the Market in Detroit.
Any words of advice for aspiring new artists?
Get off of social media and do the work.
That’s is all Ann! Thank you for your time and wish you the best of Luck!
