Ashley Lukashevsky

In 2008, the United States witnessed one of the most historic presidential races in this nation’s history. The first black presidential candidate, Barack Obama, was running for office and the excitement behind his electoral run was fueled by hope, passion and a promise of progress. The campaign’s impact and lasting impression will forever be marked in history by Obama’s inspiring speeches, his call for unity and of course the political art that was made. One of the most symbolic pieces of art, which became the cornerstone of Obama’s presidency, was Shepard Fairey’s “Hope” poster. Now, during times of immense change, there comes a need to encapsulate all of the feelings, iconic symbols, and movements, in activist art pieces. Honolulu born and Los Angeles based graphic design artist, Ashley Lukashevsky, has taken the nation by storm as one of the creators of iconic resistance symbols and images in an environment that requires her vibrant, poignant and empowering style to heal, inspire and drive others to make a change.

Lukashevsky has found her niche in creating pieces that ignite and sustain social movements, images that are created with respect, love and the knowledge of the social justice issues they represent. With her numerous designs covering issues from LGBTQ+ rights, to the Black Lives Matter movement, to immigrant rights and many more, Lukashevsky’s art has been shared all over social media and has even been used as signs during recent protests. “I was at a rally to defend DACA right directly after the administration’s announcement to end the program, and I saw a young woman holding up a sign that was pasted with an illustration that she had printed out from my Instagram account. It was so meaningful to see that my art had spoken to someone enough to do this,” explained Lukashevsky. The way her art inspires others to take action and use their voices to fight for something bigger than them is a parallel to how Lukashevsky’s career began and how she realized the power of art with a message.

Growing up in Honolulu, Lukashevsky was surrounded by a landscape that could be best described as simply alive. With surroundings containing all the colors in a deluxe crayon box and the people creating an aura of liveliness with their every movement, the lush land of her home is her biggest inspiration. “Both places that I’ve spent most of my live are full of vibrant cultures and diverse communities— which is has definitely influenced my subject matter,” shared Lukashevsky. By incorporating that same vibrancy and excitement in her art, she has been able to add an element of energy and animation to somber issues in our nation. Lukashevsky puts forth an image of positivity, appreciation and inclusion in her art by using figures that seems to move on their canvas, practically showing us to hold our heads high and stomp our feet firmly on the ground in the face of adversity.

I truly hope that my art makes people feel motivated to show up for the issues that they feel most passionate about.”

When she moved out to California to attend the University of Southern California, Lukashevsky put her art on hold and pursued international relations, which is how she believed she’d make a real impact in the world of social justice. It wasn’t until she took graphic design as one of her electives, that she realized her love for creating art and her passion for creating social change could be brought together to bring about the change she wanted to see. “When I made the switch into pursuing a creative career, I knew that I had to make artwork that spoke to my passion for social justice. I love to create, but more than that I need to create things that explore the crucial moral issues that our country continues to perpetuate,” said Lukashevsky.

From then on she’s been staying true to her style and collaborating with publications and organizations with a mission to create social change. On Lukashevsky’s website, all of the art she has created is compartmentalized by subject matter and which organization it was affiliated with. In the past two years, she has created art for GOOD Magazine’s “World Refugee Day” feature and an powerful article entitled “The U.S. States Prohibiting the Discussion of Abortion in High Schools” which was featured in Broadly and their celebration of Planned Parenthood’s 100 year anniversary. The Planned Parenthood illustration was one of her first freelance assignments and was of great importance to her personally: “...it was meaningful to have the opportunity to illustrate around a topic that is so close to home as one of my first explorations into professional illustration,” Lukashevsky explained. “I remember having absolutely no sex education at my public high school. I remember the day we learned about puberty and periods in 5th grade, and then nothing at all about contraception, pregnancy, abortion or STI’s at any point after that. The lack of information of young people is appalling, and puts so many teenagers at risk.”

46Recently Lukashevsky has been involved with initiative called LA2050 which is described as “an initiative driving and tracking progress toward a shared vision for the future of Los Angeles.” Being a fan of the foundation since her years at USC, it was an incredible honor for her to play a part in their work: “The team was a group of supportive, intelligent women driven to improve the lives of Angelenos, and that made for an incredible experience. I designed assets around the MyLA2050 grants competition, where we awarded $1M works to deserving organizations around LA county,” said Lukashevsky. Being a freelancer who has taken on so many projects in the recent years, the time taken to produce these illustrations is usually left undiscussed and unnoticed. With someone as detail oriented and passionate with their art as Lukashevsky, it’s important to create an atmosphere that is optimal for designing. “I like to keep a really organized and clear space and open all of my blinds so that it’s really bright and airy. I put on whatever music I am feeling at the moment— my music choice always depends on the mood I’m in that day,” Lukashevsky explained. “Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Jill Scott. Sometimes I just feel like listening to Stevie Nicks or Beach House, other times I need to put on Run the Jewels depending on the kind of energy I want to have. When in doubt, I’ll put on Lemonade.”

Ashley Lukashevsky has managed to create the ultimate concoction of social activism and art, all the while fulfilling her personal goals. As for the future, she has a couple of projects in the works already that consist of creating album art for Georgia Nott’s upcoming album The Venus Project of which Lukashevsky says: “The entire album was created and produced by women, from beginning to end. The album is going to drop on all streaming platforms on International Women’s Day, and I am so happy to be a part of it with such kick-ass group of female artists.” She has also wrapped on a marketing project with a major apparel brand and is planning on having her first pop-up shop in Portland at Project Object later this year. At the rate the Lukashevsky has been going, there is no stopping her anytime soon. With constant curve-balls being thrown by the current administration and the many people at risk in this nation, the work is never done, and Lukashevsky has found hope amidst the onslaught of negativity: “I truly hope that my art makes people feel motivated to show up for the issues that they feel most passionate about. It’s easy to lose hope for justice, especially when we are being bombarded with such negative and sensationalist news, but I hope to remind people that they are not alone in wanting better for our country. We need to be louder than ever to stand up for immigrant rights, black lives, indigenous dignity, and all of these interconnected issues.”

Written by Natasa Kvesic | Photography by Myrah Sarwar | Work by Ashley Lukashevsky