Nona Faustine, an artist celebrated for her courageous self-portraits that shed light on overlooked narratives and histories marked by violence, passed away on Thursday morning, March 20, at the age of 48 in New York City. Her death was confirmed by the New York gallery Higher Pictures, although the cause has not been disclosed.
Faustine’s work, deeply rooted in comprehensive research, frequently examined intricate themes of legacy, representation, trauma, and identity, especially concerning racial and gender stereotypes. Her art offered critical reexaminations of White violence and settler colonialism while honoring ancestors whose stories had been long overshadowed.
Seph Rodney, a critic and former editor at Hyperallergic, praised Faustine’s bravery, stating, “Nona Faustine was brave in a way that most women and men are not, in a way that I have never been: placing her naked self before the gaze of anyone who happens upon her work in order to redirect their attention to a history and social truth that’s both pertinent and largely invisible.” Rodney also remarked, “If we want to talk about our present-day heroes, we need to start with her.”
Faustine garnered significant attention for her self-portrait series “White Shoes” (2012–2021), where she posed nude or partially clothed in symbolic white heels at former slave auction sites around New York, such as the Tweed Courthouse and the intersection of Water and Pearl Street. These photographs captured her standing with shackled wrists on a wooden box amidst the bustling backdrop of city traffic.
Last year, the Brooklyn Museum featured the complete series for the first time, marking Faustine’s debut solo museum exhibition with 43 photographs. The museum lauded her work for compelling viewers to critically ponder the often hidden and traumatic histories of familiar spaces. In a 2019 interview with Musée magazine, Faustine spoke about using nudity to celebrate and reclaim the black body in art, challenging oppressive imagery and celebrating her own physical form.
Born in 1977 in Brooklyn and raised in Crown Heights, Faustine was drawn to photography early, inspired by family photo albums and the works of photographers like Diane Arbus. She studied at the School of Visual Arts and later earned a Master’s degree from the International Center of Photography at Bard College. In 2016, her first solo exhibition, “My Country,” showcased images that questioned the myths surrounding national monuments.
Faustine’s illustrious career included numerous awards and honors, with her work featured in prestigious collections like the David C. Driskell Center, the Studio Museum of Harlem, and the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh. Her recent achievements included a fellowship with the American Academy in Rome.
