Zahyr Lauren

Zahyr Lauren (they/them), also known as The Artist L.Haz, is a West Coast-based artist, former human rights investigator, and former attorney. All of Z’s artwork is hand drawn. They began drawing in 2015 after surmounting stress resulted in a lost ability to walk.

The youngest of four siblings from San Jose, California, Z comes from a powerful, southern Black matriarchy that migrated from Oklahoma and Mississippi to California with nothing and made something for generations to come.

Z creates in order to share light and love with community. Each piece reflects a period of meditative peace for Zahyr. The practice of meditative art has become a mental and emotional salve for Z, helping them to cope with the trauma of coming from the unjust systems’ most heavily targeted community. The practice provides a meditative reprieve from the world. The artist hopes the work engulfs other people in the same kind of peace that was felt during each works’ creation.