ARTIST STATEMENT - YOU AREN'T LISTENING
As an artist, I’ve long admired a quote attributed to Leonardo da Vinci which says, “A good painter has two chief objects to paint — man and the intention of his soul.” This concept has profoundly impacted my work, particularly in my latest piece, “You Aren’t Listening”. In it, I wanted to convey the men, but more importantly their intentions and actions. This is why the piece crops out their faces and focuses on their actions -- Malcolm with his fist raised and Chris with one arm around Malcolm and the other over his heart -- both acting in solidarity. The name “You Aren’t Listening” is a nod to Malcolm’s message as well as his method for conveying it in post-game interviews during his protests. Using poster boards, in lieu of his voice, Malcolm drew attention to the various ways that systemic racism impacts Black people and other people of color on a daily basis.
Though traditional mosaics break apart materials and reconfigure them together, my technique takes an existing subject, zooms into a particular area of focus, and breaks that apart to shift the viewer’s perspective. With “You Aren’t Listening”, the viewer needs context to understand what the eye is gazing upon. Perspective and proximity change the way you see it. In fact, a friend of mine, when viewing the piece said, “once you see it, you can’t unsee it.” The same can be said for racism.
When we reframe our perspective, vision comes into focus. Though I began working on this piece in early 2020, certainly, my perspective around the issues of equity, social justice, and racism expanded after the May 2020 murder of George Floyd and the ensuing protests around justice. Over the summer, I threw myself deeper into this piece because for me, it illustrated the courage of Black activists and the role of white accomplices -- two pieces necessary if we are to achieve the vision of a more perfect Union.
