feature: carla aaron-lopez: afro-futuristic collages and photography

Flirtatious glimpses of a galaxy, Notorious B.I.G., Black women, and Marcus Garvey placed in colorful collages instantly grabbed my interest as I analyzed the vibrant, afro-futuristic images I admired. There’s something about fluorescent tones, brown skin, and imagination that drives me to the brink of insanity. The work of visual artist Carla Aaron-Lopez is beyond fantastic, to say the least.

By Tip Jordan, AFROPUNK Contributor *
Artwork © Carla Aaron-Lopez

There lies a silent scream in the midst of her artistry that highlights the hyper-sexuality that many women of color express. Not only does Carla make her thoughts known through piecing together icons as symbolism she also documents the beauty of daily simplicity, acting as the fly on the wall.

Carla was once asked what did she love about art, she answered, “The freedom to show you what’s on the inside of my mind. To know that if I need something about life explained to me I can find the answers in art.” I guess we all can relate right? It’s a universal language we all can understand. When taking a closer look, the images used in her collages seems to be so distant in relation with each when separate, but Carla intertwines them carefully to present power through pictures!

As she captures today’s fearless generation through her 35mm lens, the spirit of courage and freedom seeps through, grabbing the viewer’s attention.

“We all have these different ways of describing normal thinking that we’re all on the same level but we’re not. Everybody lives and come up a little different that the next. I find that fascinating! It’s what helps create our character as people. Plus, day-to-day people never seem to catch a break like me. I can relate to that sometimes. I feel like I give them a break by capturing something special or dope about them. At least for today, I’ve made you happy.” – from Greedmont Park: Carla’s Black American Life

Be sure to catch up with Carla Aaron-Lopez, get the latest news, and her daily inspirations at, whoiskingcarla.com!

* Tip Jordan’s wesbite: tipjordan.com