Who Do You See?

 

“The notion that black people are human beings is a relatively new discovery in the modern west”.

  ~ Cornell West

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          Who do you see when you see an African American person in art or in public? Do you see a potential threat, a stereotype, or someone associated with a struggle or some form of resistance? As Amy Sherald stated in an In the Studio interview with Hauser & Wirth, “Black bodies are political”. Black people are often associated with resistance or the possibility for negativity. We see this in instances like the police response to the Black Lives Matter protest vs. the recent capitol riots. We also see the social injustice as black people go about their daily lives; as in the case of Ahmaud Arbery, who was killed while jogging in Georgia. While black people’s history, fight for social justice, and social construct makes us political beings, it is not always the case.

          This exhibition focuses on the moments in between the politics and challenges the way black people are seen by society. Using my cell phone as a tool, these paintings represents upstaged and unposed imagery of black people within their everyday lives. They are the captured moments in between the politics. They are non-threatening and non -stereotypical. There is a beauty in just being. Bringing a personal element to the series, these people are friends, family members, and people I have come across on my daily journey. They are connected in their fields of color environment; bringing the sole focus on the subjects and vibrancy to the paintings. The series is about the individual and not the political injustice placed upon them.