Syrita Steib
You know, for a long time, women did not think that they had the right to own their bodies or to fight back or to make a fuss about something that's going on with them. And now women are fighting back from domestic violence or sexual assault or whatever it may be. And women are being criminalized because of that. I went to clemency hearings last week. And ten of the eleven women were domestic abuse survivors, and all ten of them were there serving life sentences for … standing up to their abuser.
Artist Statement
A painting about Syrita, for Syrita. Listening to her sweet voice telling her story: past and present. Listening to the music she listened to on her Sony Walkman while she was incarcerated.
The dimensions of the canvas are 67 x 67 inches, the measurement of Syrita’s height and wingspan. My intention in making this painting was to express the essence of Syrita. Female. Fighter. A relentless advocate for women, an impassioned mother. An unstoppable force of nature.
Star (for Syrita)
Courtesy of Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, New Orleans