My work centers around the inescapability of racial stereotypes and a reevaluation for how African-Americans are viewed through a societal lens. Inspired by Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, I depict myself in situations where I’m unable to be recognized as an individual, and only recognized by the clothing I wear. Unfit to free myself from the shackles of prejudice, I look into the eyes of viewers, pleading to them, yet showing acceptance by my disposition to the inevitability of my oppression. Black hoodies and the stripped, vulnerable, body are a common motif throughout my work. The juxtaposition between clothed and unclothed illustrate how stereotypes strip me of my unique identity and force me to conform to society’s ideals of the black male.

Swan Song. Oil on Canvas. 4ft. x 3ft. 2024