Llanakila facts for kids
Victoria Brown, known as Llanakila (La-Na-Key-Luh), is a Jamaican-American artist. She is a painter and creates digital art. Her work often focuses on showing the strength of Black women. She uses bright, colorful lines to represent energy and magic. Llanakila says her art explores "infinite possibilities of outer space." She creates images that are not usually seen in daily life.
Personal life
Llanakila was born in Brooklyn. She became interested in art when she was in 7th grade. At that time, she was living in Louisiana. Her family moved often because of their military background. She attended more than five high schools. Art became a way for her to express her feelings. It helped her when it was hard to connect with new classmates.
Llanakila graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 2014. She earned a degree in printmaking. She wanted to do more with her art. She taught herself skills in animation and video.
Her sister, Nakeya Brown, is a photographer. Nakeya's Hair Stories Untold photo series became very popular online.
The name Llanakila comes from a luau she attended in Hawaii. She stayed in Hawaii for a month, and it greatly influenced her. "Llanakila" is a Hawaiian word meaning "victorious." This is a clever play on her given name, Victoria.
She gets ideas from many artists and things around her. Some of her inspirations include Kate Moross and Ruffmercy. She also looks to Jean-Michel Basquiat and Shantell Martin. Street art, hieroglyphics, and West African spirituality inspire her. Music, her sister, and even herself are also sources of artistic ideas.
Career
Artistic philosophy
A main part of Llanakila's art is the identity of Black women. She wants her art to celebrate Black women of all skin tones. She wants them to love themselves and their unique strengths. She often paints women because she is a woman. She believes women are the most complex beings in the Universe.
Bright colors and lines that look like cosmic energy are important in her work. To create her famous lines, Llanakila often uses the energy of the person in the photo. She also considers how the photo was taken. These lines show that energy. Some lines look like diamonds, while others look like flowers. She aims to show everyday womanhood as full of energy, super real, and from another world.
Music industry involvement
Llanakila works as a freelance artist for Atlantic Records. She is also a graphic designer based in Maryland. She works in Washington, D.C. She has also worked for Spotify. She has collaborated with many musicians.
Hip-hop artists Big K.R.I.T. and Asher Roth own paintings by Llanakila. She has designed promotional materials for artists like Justine Skye and BJ the Chicago Kid. She also created the official animation for a song. This was Major Lazer's and Kickraux's remix of Kranium's "Nobody Has To Know" featuring Ty Dolla $ign.
