Janiva Ellis

Janiva Ellis (born 1987) is an American painter based in Brooklyn, NY and Los Angeles, CA.

Ellis creates figurative paintings that explore the African-American female experience, while incorporating her journey of self-identity within the Black community.

Ellis investigates in her work the complex racial dynamic of her upbringing and the biracial origins of her identity.

[2] Ellis studied painting at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, graduating in 2012.

Critic Aram Moshayedi writes, "Decay and loss permeateThe Angels, yet the intimate experience of looking closely and allowing oneself to succumb to the painting’s wrapping embrace reveals moments of flourish and signs of life amidst the debris.

Janiva Ellis, The Angles, Hammer Projects (2022), Oil on Canvas [ 4 ]
Janiva Ellis, " Doubt-Guardian", 2018, Oil on Canvas [ 5 ]