Teacher Name: Jesse Wyss
Additional Teacher: Jennifer Gran
Grade: 12
Materials: Oil paint on canvas
Dimensions: 75 x 45 inches
Description: I used images of buildings and people in my neighborhood to make this piece.
Artist Statement: As an artist, I see the world in terms of color, shape, and perspective- an ability I share with the larger artistic community. However, as a Black artist, my view of the world is also shaped by the experiences of fellow Black Americans. These experiences have given me a heightened double consciousness that exposes me to the vast problems that my community faces, like gun violence, colorism, and systemic racism. My duty as an artist is to document people’s unheard experiences. Our voices have been silenced in the media, so it’s important for those who aren’t able to express themselves to find comfort or representation in art. I am motivated by those who can see a reflection of themselves in my work and the opinions generated from my work. Especially in this day and age, all non-black people need to understand the experiences of black America. I hope that my art provides insight for those that have been unaware of the issues facing our community for so long. Art is a great way to open dialogue that could spark change in the world and being able to contribute to those conversations makes me want to create more.
In this series of work I tackled the question, “How can I confront systemic oppression in my artwork?” These artworks are a part of my own experience dealing with racism, as I explored my heritage as a Black man living on the West Side of Chicago. I was influenced by current events like the Laquan McDonald Case and other historical events that I learned about through my research about this topic, including the Race Riots of 1919, and the MLK riots. These different events shaped my experience and investigation because they have shaped the collective black experience. Through symbolism, color, and imagery I began questioning how and why my community is in its current state. I started with archived imagery from eras of America’s horrible past that dealt with the oppression of Black Americans. As I worked on my investigation my ideas started simple and not as complex. I then hit a creative peak and created artworks about problems like the criminalization of black men through stereotypes, police brutality, and generational trauma. For example, I use both lifeless figures with bullet holes to symbolize the homicides rates of Black men due to guns. I utilized red in conjunction with the jarring imagery in many of these pieces to drive the narrative toward exposing trauma as opposed to keeping it hidden.
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