Nayana LaFond Exhibition: Portraits in RED

Indigenous women and girls are 11 times more likely to go missing or be murdered than the national average; ¾ of indigenous women experience violence from their intimate partner, and 98% of indigenous people experience violence in their lifetime. Men and two-spirit people are not far behind in these staggering statistics.

The missing and murdered Indigenous peoples crisis has inspired the series Portraits in RED: Missing & Murdered Indigenous Peoples Painting Project, which began on May 5, 2020, by Indigenous artist Nayana LaFond, who never intended it to become a project at all. Over three years, she has completed about 110 portraits and has a waiting queue. Each portrait is of a missing or murdered Indigenous person, their family member, or an advocate or activist working for the cause. LaFond doesn't profit from this work and hopes to bring awareness to this ongoing issue and healing for the families she…