Titled “Say Her Name,” a mural that was completed Friday at the boarded-up Hotel Abri on 127 Ellis Street in the TenderNob, was erected as an ode of solitary with our BIPOC communities; a vivid remembrance of the black women who lost their lives to police violence. A non-native American, Tova is also using this moment in time to reflect on America’s long history in racial injustice.“I had to spend some time educating myself before I could say anything at all […]”— Kate Tova
“Having grown up in Russia, I hadn’t known very much about the history of racism in the US until I arrived in New Orleans five years ago,” she told Bob Cut Mag in an email. The mural, itself, features thick acrylic brushstrokes, rhinestones, gold leaf, beads hanging on the woman’s hair — all of which were inspired by her half-decade in Nola. (Her years there shaped Tova as an artist, so it felt only natural to include a nod to New Orleans in the mural.)
The multidisciplinary painter said to us that she needed time to reflect on her own privileges and knowledge of the world before speaking out in such a conscious, concise way.
“I had to spend some time educating myself before I could say anything at all,” she continued. “I became particularly invested after one of my artworks was stolen by looters from a gallery in Los Angeles.”
Though, like us as of recent, her initial anger at the sight of that rampage quickly shifted to sympathy.
“At first I was angry, but then I spent a lot of time reading about what was going on all over the country and world,” Tova added, before hinting at the inception the mural’s idea: “I became very sympathetic to the movement and used my social media platform and art to call others to action and help amplify black voices. The mural idea was born shortly after.”“I really hope something will come up and I can make it happen, so that the world can grow into a kinder, better, more just place.”— Kate Tova
Tova also combined the names of the black women who’ve recently lost their lives to police brutality in the mural: Kendra James, Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Jefferson, Meagan Hockaday, and Shelly Frey. And she hopes her example of radical urban art — much like the ones found in downtown Oakland, around San Francisco’s Tenderloin and Mission; the mammoth “Black Live Matter” stenciling along roadways throughout the state and country — will not only reflect the current moment but help contribute to needed change. Also, to knock two proverbial birds with one stone, the Russian-born creative intends to auction off the boards the mural is canvassed on and donate those funds to the Black Artist Fund.
Tova, too, isn’t keen on hanging up her brush sets anytime soon.
“Another goal of mine is to paint a colorful mural in the Castro, and it would be perfect especially now since it’s LGBTQ month but it’s quite difficult to find a [wall and or boards,” she waxes, mid-sentence. “I really hope something will come up and I can make it happen, so that the world can grow into a kinder, better, more just place.”
// For more about Kate Tova and to both view and purchase her available work—with sales garnered from her sold prints going toward charities and organizations that fight for BIPOC fairness — visit katetova.com; “Say Her Name” is located at 127 Ellis Street (TenderNob, outside Hotel Abri)
