Untitled Series (ongoing)
These pieces are part of an on-going series created to explore the intersections of personal and cultural identity and Americana - their myths and legends.
Utilizing both the contextual and photographic narratives of 1970 African American print media, I have co-opted and reimagined broader cultural community conversations that still existent and are unresolved as we move through the 21st Century.
The impetus for their creation comes as a direct result of the 2016 presidential campaign and subsequent election of Donald J. Trump.
Black, White
Racism in America is engrained and embedded within the text and subtext of our lives. Most people do not question the words they hear, or the images they see but rather rely on their sense of what racism is or is not. As long as you don't resort to name calling, well, then everything must be hunky dory.
Unfortunately, this way of existing has led to a thinly placed veil over America. This veil hinders our growth and prevents our viewing into the deepest darkest corners of our society and our own minds. The reality is that more often than not we’d rather not see because, quite frankly, it hurts.
The systematic oppression of people of color and specifically black people in America has inflicted deep, deep wounds over and over again. No one is immune from these putrid lacerations. Our wounds exist as language meant to distance us from our fellow persons. “Black” “White” “Us” Them” “I am” “You are”.
These bandages have not really allowed our wounds to heal but rather to fester. Ultimately, the veil precludes the deep abiding compassion needed to see how racism indeed pervades every aspect of our society and therefore our relations with one another.
To move forward, we have to get beyond the veil of opposites.
Available in the Vending Machine
This piece is the beginning of explorations with printmaking. One of the processes used to make this piece included Photopolymer gravure.