Structuralism (SOLD)

12″ x 12″ x 1.5″ acrylic on wood.

This piece is an example of how inspiration and my painting practice intersect…

I’m currently teaching a course called ‘Slavery and Global Ethics.’ It’s about the institution of Atlantic slavery and how modern global (aka Western/capitalist) ethics were shaped by slavery.

It’s fascinating! (and hard)

Last week, we traced the lineage of Black resistance in the US backward from Black Lives Matter ➡️ civil rights movement ➡️ slavery and the abolition movement. I showed protest signs from each movement:

1. BLM (2020): “Black Lives Matter”
2. Civil rights (early 1960s): “I am a Man”
3. Abolition (late 18th/early 19th c.): “Am I Not a Man and a Brother”

Oof. Poingnant, heh? They all say the same thing, but they’re from 3 different centuries.

I guess it’s sadly not surprising that the same claim to humanity still has to be made today 😞. 

As I thought about this lineage, I reworked an old painting with lines—my latest obsession.

The lines reflect my thinking… First about the frustratingly powerful structures that block change. And then about the power of community and protest movements—how being connected is so much more powerful than acting alone.