ANTOINETTE CAULEY

International artist Antoinette Cauley was born in Phoenix, Arizona and draws her inspiration from the grittiness and beauty within her place of birth. Her work is heavily influenced by Black American Hood culture with a feminist undertone and an overall focus of Black empowerment. Along with her unique paintings, Cauley is most known for her nine stories tall mural of Civil Rights activist, James Baldwin in downtown Phoenix.

Nowadays I Wear My Smile Like a Mask

This mural was originally a painting I created during the 2020 pandemic in which I wanted to speak to the metaphorical masks we often wear as humans when we are trying to hide our internal (and sometimes external) daily struggles.