About the artist:

Joy Najjar is a multidisciplinary artist based in Orlando, Florida. They will receive their first Studio Art BFA in Fall of 2025, their focus being in painting, and plan on furthering their education in other creative mediums in the future.

Informed by their upbringing as a queer and trans Lebanese-American, their work addresses their struggle with mental health, identity, isolation, and trauma.

Artist Statement

“The paintings I create are inner dialogues made tangible. Through my own struggles with isolation, identity, mental illness, and trauma, it’s this tangibility that allows me to confront my feelings face-to-face. I find comfort in discomfort; a reflection of my experience with depression as a seductive, all-encompassing, and quiet presence. My work focuses on the precariously still moments found in everyday life, embracing uncertainty and finding respite in it nonetheless.

Each painting begins with a thin coat of black gesso; I find it much less intimidating than white. Vibrant colors then emerge from deep shadow to communicate dreamlike and dissociative states, while fervent mark-making through repetitive patterns reflects the obsessive nature of my anxiety. I seek deeper understanding through my art and lean into vulnerability, referencing personal interior spaces, such as my bedroom, and utilizing classical iconography and personal symbolism as reoccurring motifs throughout my body of work.

My work reaches out to people in ways I struggle to do otherwise, seeking relief from personal feelings of isolation. I’d like to bridge the gap between those who might relate to my experiences and those who don’t, sparking deeper self-reflection and letting others know that they aren’t alone either.”