Our World, Our Times

Portfolio

The world we live in is complicated. And if it’s complicated for us adults, imagine what it must feel like for our children. These are the ways Aria Luna expresses her emotions and thoughts as she reconciles the innocence of childhood with the harsh realities of the world we live in.
Exodus
Missing Peace
Sophie
We have nature's courage

Exodus

2019
Acrylic on canvas
17.75 x 23.75 in
45 x 60.3 cm

Struck by the cruel practice of separating children from their families at the US border, Aria Luna poured her grief into this haunting depiction of a brother and sister escaping detention. But freedom is neither clear nor guaranteed… the imminent cliff presents another seemingly insurmountable challenge.

This work is available for sale. All proceeds fund organizations protecting immigrant children and their families.
Please contact us for pricing.

Exodus / Detail of imprisonment

2019
Acrylic on canvas
17.75 x 23.75 in
45 x 60.3 cm

When we asked Aria Luna why she didn’t draw an actual prison or cage, she said “it’s the energy of prison chasing them.”

In the detail below, you can see the two white claws reaching after the children as they run. A powerful metaphor for the profoundly inhumane treatment of children and families in detention in the United States.

This work is available for sale. All proceeds fund organizations protecting immigrant children and their families.
Please contact us for pricing.

Exodus / Detail of the children

2019
Acrylic on canvas
17.75 x 23.75 in
45 x 60.3 cm

A sister and brother fleeing incarceration… their only crime being that they’re brown, Hispanic, and seeking a safer and healthier place to live. For too many people, this is how they see “the other” … mere shadows.

This work is available for sale. All proceeds fund organizations protecting immigrant children and their families.
Please contact us for pricing.

Exodus / Detail of the sun

2019
Acrylic on canvas
17.75 x 23.75 in
45 x 60.3 cm

Even the sun bleeds in Exodus. In a world stained by intolerance and cruelty, the sun forces its light through a blood-red sky.

This work is available for sale. All proceeds fund organizations protecting immigrant children and their families.
Please contact us for pricing.

Exodus / Detail of the sea

2019
Acrylic on canvas
17.75 x 23.75 in
45 x 60.3 cm

Far below the cliff, the sea reflects the sun, its depths unaware of the pain and suffering that humans inflict on one another.

This work is available for sale. All proceeds fund organizations protecting immigrant children and their families.
Please contact us for pricing.

Missing Peace

2019
Watercolor, acrylic, and sepia ink on mixed-media paper
16.5 x 24 in
41.9 x 61 cm

In Aria’s words: “The figure represents humanity; it’s both female and male. S/he is broken up into puzzle pieces without color and without life, held down by the chains of isolation caused by technology, racism and other forms of intolerance. But nature, like always, gives us the answer. The birds are bringing the missing piece to the puzzle of our existence… the ‘peace’ that will complete us and set us free.”

“Missing Peace” won 6th Place in the “La planète, aujourd’hui… et demain ?” 2020 international visual arts competition sponsored by the Centre pour l’UNESCO Louis François. For more of Aria Luna’s honors and awards, visit the PRESS page and scroll down to “Awards.”

Sophie

2019
Charcoal and pastels on mixed media paper
16.5 x 11.7 in
42 x 29.7 cm

In June 2019, the Consulate of Mexico invited Aria Luna to submit a piece to the Dibujo Infantil call for artists. The theme was “Este es mi México” (“This is my Mexico”); participants were asked to portray their favorite Mexican figure. As could be expected, there were lots of Frida Kahlos and other well-known Mexican personalities.

Aria Luna, however, chose to do a portrait of Sophie Cruz, the young daughter of Mexican immigrants who became known for her passionate advocacy for the rights of immigrant families. It’s not the first time Sophie’s had her portrait done, but it probably is the first by an artist her own age…

Sophie / Detail

2019
Charcoal and pastel on mixed media paper
16.5 x 11.7 in
42 x 29.7 cm

Detail of Sophie’s face.

We Have Nature’s Courage

2019
Watercolor, marker, and pen on mixed media paper
16.5 x 11.7 in
42 x 29.7 cm

This illustration is one of Aria Luna’s explorations of the environmental crisis we’re facing.

“We really have to work together to clean up the pollution in our forests and rivers and stop using so much plastic,” she says. The children–two girls and two boys–represent four races and four elements:

(From left to right)
• Caucasian ethnicity and the power of nature
• Latinx and Native American ethnicities and the power of water
• African ethnicity and the power of the sun
• Asian ethnicity and the life force of plants

“The children have wings so they can send the energy of their special powers all over the world, and they’re holding hands so they can focus the power into a single force,” explains Aria Luna.

If only…