The Chains that Connect Us
The Chains that Connect Us, explores dualities and contradictions of shared experiences in Black and Brown communities with family members or loved ones who are incarcerated. This new body of work is meant to serve as a mental health practice and social space for healing. Rather than focusing on statistics of the hyperincareration of Black and Brown bodies, I am creating a dialogue centered around the experiences of those who carry the weight of supporting, both financially and emotionally the traumas of an unjust system. These communities lack access to mental health institutions, and they often adapt unhealthy coping mechanisms for traumas such as the mass incarceration of black bodies.
"I am: Already Exalted" Acrylic and paper on canvas 40" x 40" 2019
Detail shot of "I am: Already Exalted". Quote by Deja, "I was born of a black woman, I have the gift of God" is inspired by the disproportionate and high rate of maternal mortality of African American women. Black women are the most oppressed group in the United States, so the halo behind the subject is meant to challenge the lack of representation of black women as holy figures in the art historical canon.
"Pen' Pals" Ink on paper 6" x 4" 2018
"Who the Crown Fits" acrylic and glossed paper on canvas 24 x 18" 2021
Thinking about the way slavery, racism, and mass incarceration has shaped culture in this country, the title of this series comes from the symbolic relationship of chains as tools of bondage and connectedness. Large scale mixed media paintings incorporate text, photographs, and objects from subjects who have shared their experiences of having a loved one incarcerated, using visual art as a social practice for healing. The chains that bind us also connect us.