I'm Still Here, 2022

MAYA JUNE MANSOUR
I’m Still Here, 2022
24 x 16.5 inches
Archival pigment print on Moab Slickrock Metallic Paper
Edition of 2
Signed and numbered by the artist 

Maya June Mansour is a photographer originally from Nashville, TN with roots in Black America, Palestine, and Iran. Her current project, Light Brown Butterfly, investigates the long-term mental and spiritual impact of sexual assault. Using self-portraiture, Maya depicts her relationship with trauma through the lenses of anger, healing, and religion.

I’m Still Here features a small mirror with Mansour’s reflection. Her portrait is almost invisible against the larger interior space, alluding to the ways in which trauma can often be invisible on the outside. “When you have that kind of trauma it becomes a part of you, it informs everything,” Mansour says. “This photograph shows how it’s almost easy to look at a person and not see it—but once you see my face in the mirror, it’s impossible to miss.”

Mansour was a part of the most recent cohort of For Freedoms Fellowships including Converse’s Hear Her Here, promoting the work of Black femme creatives, and Google's Image Equity Fellowship supporting early-career image-based creators of color in the US and the expansion of a more equitable field of fine art. 

Mansour notes “I feel very connected to For Freedoms both through my own art practice and through Black Image Center, the non-profit that I co-founded in 2020. Black Image Center is a community space for Black photographers and storytellers that has been supported by For Freedoms since day 1! My participation in For Freedoms’ fellowship programs has deepened my connection to the organization and has provided the resources and support to develop my skills and reach as an artist.” 

A publication featuring work from Light Brown Butterfly will be published soon. Sign up for Mansour’s newsletter for more information. 

For Freedoms is excited to support our fellows through sales and community-building opportunities; artists will receive 50% of the net proceeds of sales of their artwork. 

PLEASE NOTE: 

• Unframed prints ship within 1-2 weeks and framed prints ship within 4-6 weeks.
• International customers are responsible for all duties, taxes, and VAT fees