The other day I was able to sit down with Lainie Ettema. She is an interdisciplinary, conceptual artist from Michigan who is currently working on their thesis show for the University of Florida. I first saw her work scrolling through Instagram and the raw power made me reach out right away. It wasn’t even for this project, I simply wanted to work with her. Thankfully she replied and we were able to link up and have a conversation.

During the conversation there were two things that stood out to me. First was that Lainie loved art. Not only is she a great artist but her understanding of it and how connections are made though art is amazing. Second is she is a person who creates with intent.

This year she has already had two shows, Beige, a show that she put on at a friend's place for the art walk. The second show, Plaything, was exhibited at the Foremost Gallery, a UF affiliated gallery. Lainie's shows generally feature distinct bodies of work created using her interdisciplinary approach, combining painting, sculptures and digital art. Her exhibitions explore politically charged themes centered around the fem body, fragmentation, and objectification. She utilizes her art to challenge boundaries and speculate on future identities, particularly through the metaphorical use of skin and fleshy textures.