Artist Adrian Brandon has unveiled a collection of beautiful and thought-provoking portraits of black individuals killed by the police in the United States.
The treatment of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement, and the treatment of African-Americans in society at large, has become the biggest question facing US society in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and the resulting protests that have now raged for over a month.
The Brooklyn-based artist has named the collection 'Stolen', and for good reason, as it represents the time stolen from the lives of these individuals. Brandon first sketches the outline of the individual in question and then begins to color them in. However, he sets a timer and only colors until the timer runs out. The timer is set for 1 minute for every 1 year of life for each individual tragically killed. For George Floyd, the timer was set for 46 minutes to represent his 46 years of life, for Aiyana Stanley Jones, the timer was set for 7 minutes for her 7 years of life, and so forth.
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What emerges are incomplete portraits that act as a dramatic representation of the lost or incomplete life that has occurred as a result of unjust violence. Brandon also says that the anxiety he feels when trying to complete the image is a representation of the anxiety many black people in the US feel when interacting with law enforcement, even when they have done absolutely nothing wrong. He says:
"Although this anxiety may seem minor in that the consequences for me are very low, it does really have an effect on me. Anxiety is a feeling that black people are far too familiar with, and to experience that feeling while illustrating these portraits allows each piece to feel like a performance. A lot of Black people are forced to live with this anxiety and accept it as part of our every day. But these feelings build up and are exhausting. I shouldn't have to do a prayer every time I see police pursuing a Black person in the streets. I shouldn't feel anxious when the police are talking to a person of color. I shouldn't feel so damn anxious that I remove my hat and jewelry when the cops pull me over. I shouldn't feel so anxious that I would second guess calling the police if I ever needed to. This series is pulling me in, in ways that art has never done."
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Art often serves us as a representation of our times and our culture. It really is a sad fact that such beautiful artwork has emerged as a result of such tragedy, however, it is hoped that it raises awareness of the sheer injustices being perpetrated in modern America.
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