Lydiaemily Archibald

Place: Chicago

Born: 1971

Biography:

Lydia Emily, also known as Lydiaemily Archibald, is a street artist, muralist, and oil painter born in Chicago in 1971. She is known for her realistic oil portraits with political and current themes, which she paints on the Sunday New York Times sealed to canvas and then translates into large murals in cities around the world. Lydia Emily is considered one of the few prominent and prolific female street artists in a predominantly male field. In 2012, she founded The Karma Underground or TKU, a not-for-profit organization that advocates for a free Tibet. Lydia Emily was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2012 and has used her work to promote awareness of the disease. She is the subject of a short documentary film 'Lydia Emily's Last Mural'.