Swooping cursive font spells out “healing is an act of communion,” a quote from feminist writer bell hooks. The words are surrounded by drawings of pink-ish strawberries, blossoming flowers upon leaves and three butterflies spreading their blue and turquoise wings.
The design — a poster for Carleton University’s Sexual Assault Awareness Week between Jan. 26 to 30 — is that of Carleton graduate and freelance artist KJ Forman. Their goal for this year’s poster is to highlight the role of mutual support in healing from sexual violence.
The awareness week offered events for self-care, support and safety planning to “raise awareness about the impacts of sexual violence on campus while fostering a community of care for survivors,” according to the university’s website.
Forman, who is also the owner of apparel and accessory shop Luck and Lavender Studio, says their creations are particularly inspired by political and emotional events.
The Charlatan sat down with Forman to learn more about their inspiration and artistic process.
KJ Forman (KF): Carleton told me healing encompassed the themes they wanted to represent in the artwork. They gave me a lot of creative freedom with the piece, but the one thing they wanted was the quote from bell hooks: “Healing is an act of communion.” From there, I created my artwork around this central quote.
TC: How did the quote from bell hooks guide your process?
KF: I had never heard the quote before, but I was immediately inspired by it. Healing being an act of communion is the idea that healing is not something we can do alone — we have to rely on our community to get through hard times.
It made me think about symbiotic relationships in nature, so I incorporated some wild roses, bumblebees, moths and butterflies. I thought about the ways in which living things in nature interact with each other and depend on one another for survival.
TC: What do the flowers, strawberries, bees and butterflies represent in this piece?
KF: I picked different flowers and natural components with colours that worked together in a way that I liked. Colours are an important element in guiding my creative process – I tend to choose a palette and work around that. My vision for this piece was a natural colour palette, but also bright and eye-catching. I wanted it to be reflective of the beauty of nature.
KF: We need our community, and our community needs us. I think Western culture has become very individualistic in the last decade or two, and I believe that we need to return to being willing to be there for our people even when it is “inconvenient.”
TC: What does it mean for you to have your art featured in Carleton’s Sexual Assault Awareness Week?
KF: I’m honoured that this is the third time Carleton has hired me to create their poster for Sexual Assault Awareness Week. I feel lucky to be involved in what is an important cause for me as a survivor of sexual violence. As a Carleton student, I participated in many equity programs for sexual assault survivors that made me feel cared for, so I am proud to still be involved in the amazing support systems that Carleton provides.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Featured image by Sadie Johnstone/the Charlatan.
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