Death to Complicity Series
The Death to Complicity series consists of two paintings made from the same music inspired setup. It references folk artists that I listen to along with symbols of my own background as a artist in the south who grew up in a military family. Through this blog, I wanted to provide context to the artists who inspired me to create this series.
This Machine Kills Fascists
Creating is an act of resistance and an antonym to fascism. Community and creation go hand in hand. I am torn between feelings of hope and grief in response to what I see happening in our politics, but I have found comfort through shared creativity like music. When I paint, I've been listening to folk artists like Woody Guthrie who use art to speak on political issues and the lived human experience. I was inspired to create this painting after visiting the Woody Guthrie Center. Seeing how Woody used all sorts of forms of expression to share his message was inspiring. Using vinyl covers and other imagery referencing albums, drawings, and various photos, I wanted to make a piece that was dedicated to traditional folk artists and contemporary artists who are leading a new wave of protest music and are tackling different subjects relevant to our current events.
Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie was known for writing his famous mantra, "this machine kills fascists" on his guitars.
"All you fascists bound to lose" is a quote from Woody's song "All you Fascists".
I wanted to express a duality in these two paintings. One work that felt hopeful or mellow, where the skeleton was looking towards the light. And another that was more confrontational as the skeleton looks directly at the viewer.
I grew up listening to traditional folk artists like Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and John Prine.
It wasn't until recently, when I started listening to Woody Guthrie. But I became fascinated in his ability to use words, drawings, and paintings to share his political messages. His expression was authentic, powerful, and uncensored.
I wanted to expand my music library and experience a broader variety of folk music. I started looking into more contemporary artists like Kirby, Mon Rovîa, Julian Saporiti, and Jesse Welles.
Kirby
Kirby, is a contemporary artist from Mississippi, singing r&b/soul. She talks a lot about her relationship with the south as a black woman. And how coming from a small town in the south, you spend so much time thinking of how to get out, but through grief of losing various family members, she explores what it's like returning to Mississippi and really diving into her family roots, and talking about topics like reparations, pay gaps, racism, and more. Below is a link to her song, Reparations, on Youtube.
Mon Rovîa
Mon Rovîa is a Tennessee based artist from the Afro-appalachian folk music genre. He was a refugee from the Liberian Civil war and was adopted by missionaries at a young age. He uses his experiences to talk about his journey in exploring his identity and to raise awareness for humanitarian issues that puts a focus on loving our neighbors. Below is a link to his song Heavy Foot on Youtube.
Julian Saporiti
Julian Saporiti is a Vietnamese, Italian American with a PHD in American studies who speaks on stories of war, immigration, identity, and race through the No-No Boy project. An album that ties in visual elements and performances in reference to the book called No-No Boy that is about the effects of internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Below is a link to his song St. Denis or Bangkok, from a Hotel Balcony on Youtube.
Jesse Welles
Jesse Welles is an Arkansas based folk singer. He’s well known for his fast turnaround for political commentary through folk music. Below is a link to a live performance of his song, "Join Ice" on Youtube.
Death to Complicity
The Military Coveralls & Handwoven Apron
Growing up in a military family has shaped my interest in other cultures, my passion for protecting human rights, and my understanding of trauma, suffering, and death. My education in the arts has been aided by a military-based scholarship that comes from my dad’s disability. It is especially important that I use my education to make something good come from my dad’s disability while recognizing the problematic aspects of systems like the military and our complicity in it.
My dad uses weaving as art therapy for his PTSD, and he wove this apron that I use while painting.