Kirsty Latoya is a path-breaking young artist based in South London. Her debut art and poetry book Reflections of Me deals with mental health, identity, womanhood and love. It features images accompanied by original poems by the artist.

Latoya learn to paint while she was a student in New York, and extended her work to include digital art. She began using an iPad and stylus and experimenting with different apps and programs. Later she let go of the stylus to reach the freedom of drawing on the iPad with her bare finger.

Latoya’s  explorations of mental health through art comes from her personal battles with depression from the age of 13 – and a desire to help others who suffer loneliness by giving them an art connection. She works towards destigmatising mental illness, especially amongst Black and Asian communities.

According to her publisher Crystal Mahey-Morgan, “Kirsty’s ability to convey emotion through her art and affect the viewer in a profound way is truly breath taking. She has a unique ability to express complex ideas through seemingly simple images around universal human emotion. This coupled with her boldness in tackling sometime sensitive issues makes her a truly exciting artist and one to watch. We’re very proud to be able to work with and publish such an important voice and talent.”

Gallery curated by Malavika Rajnarayan and Team Inter-Actions