The artist explained to "i-D magazine" that "there's a sense of pride in how people display themselves. It's why I like street portraits, because I think there's a real presence that everyone has." Inspired by reconnecting with her father in 2010, Johnson Artur began documenting the stories of "Russians of Colour". Working in conjunction with journalist Sarah Bentley, the project focuses on black Russians who have grown up without either or both of their parents and who collectively describe themselves as Afro-Russians. In 2016, "Liz Johnson Artur", a monograph on the artist, was published by Bierke Verlag. This is the first comprehensive overview of her work which captures more than 30 years of photographing strangers globally. This cloth hardcover book was designed by Hendrik Schwantes and is 22x27cm, 136 pages with 114 colour & black and white images. AIMIA AGO Prize  Liz Johnson Artur was a nominee for the 2017 AIMIA AGO Prize alongside Raymond Boisjoly, Taisuke Koyama, and Hank Willis Thomas. She received a prize for her place on the shortlist. During this competition the "Black Balloon Archive" was displayed at the Art Gallery of Ontario alongside sketchbooks and two larger prints.