Both Happen

Oil Paint on Canvas

28” x 54”

2020

“Both Happen” is part of a series of paintings exploring the impact of microaggressions experienced by Black people. The series uses a juxtaposition of images to expose the subtle and yet vile nature of microaggressions. Microaggressions can be described as the everyday slights, indignities, put-downs, and insults that people of color, women, LGBTQ populations, or those who are marginalized experiences in their day-to-day interactions with people.

 “Both Happen” illustrates two scenes of two different arrests. It references the violent nature of microaggressions that claim that “cops are only doing their jobs” or “there are good and bad cops”. The image on the right depicts the highly circulated image of George Floyd being arrested for passing a counterfeit $20 bill in Minneapolis. During his arrest, a white police office knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly 8 minutes which ultimately resulted in Floyd’s death. While many came in defense of the police officer, the inhumane physical treatment of Floyd in the image cannot be misunderstood or reasoned away. The choice to depict the officer in a KKK mask attempts to reveal the reason for Floyd’s murder which is racism. The Ku Klux Klan, commonly called the KKK, is an American white supremacist hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, immigrants, homosexuals, and leftists. The mask is a commentary on the way that the police officer’s whiteness protects or shields him from any allegations or shame for his actions. The mask also prevents the audience from recognizing him as an individual but rather ties him to roots and systems of white supremacy. The image on the left shows a peaceful arrest between a Black police officer and a white civilian. The arrest in contrast to Floyd’s arrest seems calm and relaxed.” Both Happen” attempts to provide a more complete image to the unjust ways in which the police system operates in America. This juxtaposition asserts that even though there are cops that are humane, civil, and upright it doesn’t mean racist and violent cops do not operate their oppression in the same system. The painting ultimately questions the validity of a system that allows for Floyd’s murder to happen.