Lethabo Huma

Lethabo Huma is a digital artist born in South Africa. The main theme of her art is centered around her emotional responses, thoughts and experiences as a young African woman. Huma was invited to TIMEPieces by Micah Johnson.

 

Artist Statement

Title: Safe Haven

Protecting Black girls is explicitly what building a better future means, yet there are rarely any spaces built for them to grow, their voices are routinely suppressed, their bodies sexualized & their identities stripped from them.

The emotional, spiritual and mental wellbeing of a child needs to be nurtured and guarded, yet the world often sits, watches & uses them until they are older Black women and then uses them as a form of entertainment.

For years, Black women had to take care of themselves and everybody else around them, from being the single mother & helper who raises kids who aren’t her own, to being the only c-suite executive who has to outwork everyone for one-third the pay of “others.”

So, the future is currently being built by the only people who are protecting Black girls, and it’s Black women.

 

About the Artist

While she explores various media in pursuit of more precise methods of communication, Lethabo Huma is best known for her born-digital work: “I create digital paintings and illustrations but still follow traditional painting and drawing techniques in order to achieve expressive brushwork textures. I always strive to improve how I translate my emotions and the stories I share through my selection of muses and brushwork.”

@lethabohuma_art | @lethabohuma | www. lethabohuma.com

View on OpenSea here.

Contact us at letters@time.com.