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VICTIMS & VILLAINS
(2014 - present )
(2014 - present )
Oil on panel
48" x 65" (Marissa Alexander)
48" x 65" (Marissa Alexander)
These paintings are intended to function as case studies of select problems within the criminal justice system. I choose to render the subjects’ mugshots because this type of image highlights the dehumanizing process of entering the system by creating the branded identity of "dangerous criminal" without singularly conveying any more information to the public. While mugshots generally serve as archival images or as tools for law enforcement, they also strip people of their humanity.
As these images are re-imagined in paint and formatted on a larger scale, one is able to see the raw emotion behind each person’s eyes as a representation of their internal experience. Regardless of any of moral or ethical ambivalence one may feel toward a given subject, the candor found in every expression is poignant and disquieting.
It is not my aim to deny that criminality exists and/or that criminals should not be held accountable for their crimes. However, as I have researched the justice system in the creation of these works, I find that many troubling inconsistencies exist in our justice system. These works are intended to encourage a dialogue about where those inconsistencies (and sometimes atrocities) lie, and what can be done to facilitate change in a meaningful and just direction.
PICTURED::
George Zimmerman (48" x 72"), Austin Smith Clem (48" x 72"), and Darren Deon Vann (48" x 72")
As these images are re-imagined in paint and formatted on a larger scale, one is able to see the raw emotion behind each person’s eyes as a representation of their internal experience. Regardless of any of moral or ethical ambivalence one may feel toward a given subject, the candor found in every expression is poignant and disquieting.
It is not my aim to deny that criminality exists and/or that criminals should not be held accountable for their crimes. However, as I have researched the justice system in the creation of these works, I find that many troubling inconsistencies exist in our justice system. These works are intended to encourage a dialogue about where those inconsistencies (and sometimes atrocities) lie, and what can be done to facilitate change in a meaningful and just direction.
PICTURED::
George Zimmerman (48" x 72"), Austin Smith Clem (48" x 72"), and Darren Deon Vann (48" x 72")