Screams echo

January 28th-29th, 2022 | Yellow House Art Gallery

I had the honor of creating artwork inspired by the writing of Bobbie O’Connor whose literacy and performance piece was titled “Screams Echo.” My prints were shown alongside phenomenal artists Marsha Hatcher and Erin Kendrick who are women that I look up to in the art community. I created a series of prints that were inspired by the painting “Prometheus Bound” created by Dutch painter Peter Paul Rubens where Prometheus is seen bound to a boulder while an eagle picks at his side. My print is a new version where the Promethean figure breaks from his perpetual bounds and uses the things around him to break from his prison. I often times use my family as models for my work. Seen at the bottom of the print are those who were wrongfully killed by police officers or lynched by American citizens. The larger prints (seen on the striped fabric) is a part of the series called Hye Won Hye which loosely translates to “that which does not burn.” I based this work on the research I did about Adinkra symbols and their various meanings. Amidst all of the anguish and grief, I wanted to emphasize the parents who are impacted by the loss (seen by the text and the toy policemen halos) but also hope for a better future with children covered in protective symbols (even though the reminder of distress is seen in the upside down flag behind them). More Info Here

In a few of the images, each jar was a soil collection from the sites where each individual was lynched. This became a reminder of what the show is about and pay respect to those who were wrongfully murdered. Below the jars are different offerings and painted rocks created by Marsha Hatcher (that depict a mixture of faces, some recognizable and some unknown for those who were lynched but are lost to time).