Michael Brown was shot with his hands in the air. What did you see when you created an image regarding his killing?
I saw a African-American, young male whose story was potentially silenced at the end of a policeman’s barrow.
What has been the response from you bringing and shining a creative light on this death?
Ironically, I’ve been working on this series of work for about two years now. It’s called “Suspicious Prisms.” Due to the unfortunate demise of Eric Garner and Mike Brown, I decided to add these two men to the series for obvious reasons. The response has been great so far, but I want people to take action instead of just hitting the “like” button in social. Police brutality is a serious problem that needs true legislation reform to combat it.
Why is the role of a visual artist so important on the issue of social conditions?
As I mentioned before, I think activism in the art is vital because throughout history artist were the movers of culture. Without artists to inform the masses, society as a whole could continue to suffer from certain complexities such inferiority, ignorance, persecution, etc.
Now that you have moved to the forefront of the artist creating art to speak to the time, what do you hope it will motivate others to do?
I hope the art I create helps to bring awareness and soothe the pains of being a sentinel being in today’s world.
Political art from major countries has been key to changing or influencing movements, how would you describe your current movement?
It’s always about being aware of the current state of society. I don’t know if I would say that my creativity is a part of some movement, but more a part of the post-Information Age. This era is all about transparency and immediacy, so creativity and art should reflect that.
There is a stillness that is housed in your work; it’s very tomb-like, why?
I try to capture a moment in time with the Suspicious Prisms series. Since the whole series is base of photos that I find online or photos that I shoot, that stillness could come from me wanting the viewer to stop and reflect on the current issues (violence, brutality, beauty, reflection, etc.).
History will write the death certificate for this young man. Where does your art belong in the conversation of his death?
My art is a reminder that Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Sean Bell, Jonathan Ferrell, Amadou Diallo, Trayvon Martin and John Crawford are human beings and deserve to be remembered as such. I want to celebrate their lives by reminding people of their humanity.
What needs to be said about the loss of life at the hands of the police?
That’s a tricky question because in some cases the police have to take a life in order to save lives, theirs included. But the biggest issue with law enforcement is the excessive use of deadly force, especially when it comes to black people and especially against black and Latino males.
Do you imagine the families and mothers in your work?
I do because they’re the ones who have to live with the constant reminder that their love ones are no longer there. They’re the ones who have to live with a heavy heart that’s been left empty because of the departure of these men.
What has the news media tended to be concerned about with your art?
Most of the media coverage has been mostly around these brother’s untimely death. My work has just played a role of reminding the masses of what has happen and that’s exactly what I want the work to do. It’s not about me. It’s about the issues at hand, and the current issue is that society has a target on the backs and chess a black men.
Does the hip-hop community identify with your movement?
I think so, maybe not on the commercial level (radio, rappers, etc.), but amongst the people it does. We are all a part of the hip-hop community so as long as the people can identify with the work, then that’s cool with me.
Did Spike share this image and who else has share your work through social media?
Having Brother Spike share my work has allowed the message of the piece that I created in response to Eric Garner and Mike Brown passing to reach far beyond my social influence. The power of social truly allows the creative process to play out in a democratic way that has never been seen before in history. I track some of the tweets sent out by Spike and others on tweetreach.com and the number of people reached are really good . . . 80,000 estimated reach, so imagine all of those people that retweet the tweet. That’s powerful!
