Kelly Latimore

Kelly Latimore is one of the most celebrated artists of contemporary religious icons. Those who follow Christian social media have likely seen Latimore’s modern take on the centuries-old practice of iconography in recent years. Black Lives Matter marchers carried copies of Latimore’s “Mama,” a pietà icon, in which Jesus resembles the late George Floyd. Latimore’s icons often substitute figures from classic Bible imagery with figures representing the marginalized and the oppressed. Latimore’s icon “Refugees: La Sagra­da Familia,” in which the flight to Egypt is interpreted as Latinx immigrants crossing the desert, adorns the cover of Pope Francis’s book “A Stranger and You Welcomed Me.” Latimore has also created a diverse array of icons of unexpected saints such as poet Mary Oliver, congressman John Lewis, and environmentalist John Muir.