“AmeriKKKa – Reflection of a Divided Nation”
These works were from a series called “Celebrating Humanity – a Tea Party”. They were created at a time when inclusiveness and diversity were celebrated in our country when we had a President who was a unifying force for inclusivity from LGBTQ issues to DACA and integrating undocumented immigrants into our society. I decided to paint people from different cultures reflecting what we were building towards, an America which celebrates each other’s culture, background, sexual orientation and erasing the margins which separated us. We were healing as a nation from the scars of Racism and Sexism. We were breaking glass ceilings and operating in a safety net of a world leader who embraced the continued efforts for equality.
During the Trump campaign this has all changed. The dividing factors and racist codes through his speeches emboldened those who hid in the closet of their racism. The Trump administration gave permission to destroy, beat up, vandalized, and even kill the “Other.” What we were building towards for centuries, the fight for inclusivity and diversity was rampantly destroyed in seconds. These paintings took hundreds of hours to paint, but in a single swoop of the spray paint, they were destroyed in 5 seconds. “AmeriKKKa – Reflection of a Divided Nation” is a narrative of the current events that marginalized people of color, immigrants, sexual orientation or known as the “Other” are now experiencing. This project aims to highlight our struggles and document current events while creating alliances and dialogues. It aims to rebuild the bridge of inclusion, togetherness that this country was meant for.
"To a racist we all look alike."
“AmeriKKKa – Reflection of a Divided Nation”
These works were from a series called “Celebrating Humanity – a Tea Party”. They were created at a time when inclusiveness and diversity were celebrated in our country when we had a President who was a unifying force for inclusivity from LGBTQ issues to DACA and integrating undocumented immigrants into our society. I decided to paint people from different cultures reflecting what we were building towards, an America which celebrates each other’s culture, background, sexual orientation and erasing the margins which separated us. We were healing as a nation from the scars of Racism and Sexism. We were breaking glass ceilings and operating in a safety net of a world leader who embraced the continued efforts for equality.
During the Trump campaign this has all changed. The dividing factors and racist codes through his speeches emboldened those who hid in the closet of their racism. The Trump administration gave permission to destroy, beat up, vandalized, and even kill the “Other.” What we were building towards for centuries, the fight for inclusivity and diversity was rampantly destroyed in seconds. These paintings took hundreds of hours to paint, but in a single swoop of the spray paint, they were destroyed in 5 seconds. “AmeriKKKa – Reflection of a Divided Nation” is a narrative of the current events that marginalized people of color, immigrants, sexual orientation or known as the “Other” are now experiencing. This project aims to highlight our struggles and document current events while creating alliances and dialogues. It aims to rebuild the bridge of inclusion, togetherness that this country was meant for.
