From graphic artists to painters to street artists and performance artists, artisans are showing solidarity with protesters and Black Americans in general by contributing their talents  (and treasure earned from such talent) to the Black Lives Matter movement. Since the start of the pandemic—and through the protests that arose in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and now Rayshard Brooks, at the hands of police—I’ve wondered excitedly about the art that creative thinkers and makers will create during this time (and after) while drawing on the intense energy of this time. Well, there’s no need for me to wonder any longer.

Art above by Melissa Koby

Kadir Nelson, inspired by Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People” for Rolling Stone’s July 2020 cover: “The people who were pushing for those changes were African American women . . . They are very much at the forefront in spearheading this change, so I thought it was very important for an African American woman to be at the very center of this painting, because they have very much been at the center of this movement.”

Kadir Nelson for the New Yorker

From art world stars, like Banksy, to artists who are only just now being propelled to fame, like Keedron Bryant and Ange Hill, creatives are doing their part to interpret, document, and examine current events. I’ve included a few fine art, street art, and digital pieces created in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in the gallery below, which I plan to update over time. Watch this space!

“I saw George Floyd pleading with the officer to let him breathe and it reminded me of the way they were killed.” – Syrian artist Aziz Asmar, who painted the mural with  Anis Hamdoun

“People of colour are being failed by the system.” – Banksy