Beautiful Loving Male- Identity Theft
This
body
of
work
is
my
creative
voice.
I
have
titled
it,
“Identity
Theft.”
I
began
working
on
the
majority
of
these
pieces
during
the
beginning
of
2016
and
some
date
earlier
than
that.
I
initially
created
this
work
as
a
protest
toward
the
televised
brutality
and
killings
of
Black
people
and
people
of
color.
These
killings
were
not
only
happening
here
in
America
but
throughout
the
world.
As
I
look
back
at
my
own
history,
as
well
as
researching
world
history,
I
reflect
on
what
I
have
been
taught
about
myself
and
other
darker-skinned
people
of
the
world.
The
work
in
this
exhibit
is
my
artistic
representation
of
what
happens
when
people
or
nations
of
people
are
stripped
of
their
indigenous
identity
and
re-taught
a
history
that
historically
filters
the
truth
and
presents
an
incorrect
version
of
past
and
present
injustices.
This
filtered
history,
as
I
call
it,
is
being
used
against
us
as
a
weapon
of
self-destruction.
I
firmly
believe
this
inability
to
see
value
or
substance
in
one’s
skin
color
is
a
reflection
on
how
people
of
color
are
seen
today.
I
have
changed
my
creative
direction
and
my
work
no
longer
focuses
on
the
hatred
and
ignorance
of
killing
the
darker-skinned
people.
I
now
focus
on
the
cause
and
effect
of
this
senseless
taking
of
another’s
life.
Our
existence
on
this
planet
depends
on
our
perceptions
of
one
another.
An
incorrect
version
of
history
should
be
viewed
as
a
crime
against
humanity.
The
art
in
this
exhibit
is
my
truth
and
that
truth
must
begin
to
be
re-taught.
As
a
Black
man,
I
believe
history
is
failing
not
only
the
Black
race
but
also
the
human
race.
Black
history
is
mainly
being
taught
from
the
Black
American
slave
narrative,
which
is
only
5
percent
of
the
200,000
years
of
documented
African
history.
Civilization
began
on
the
continent
of
Africa,
but
our
history
in
America
speaks
little
or
nothing
of
this.
Human
existence
means
nothing
if
we
don’t
know
who
we
are,
or
where
we
come
from.
Not
knowing
one’s
history
or
the
incorrect
history
of
other
races
is,
in
my
opinion,
a
form
of
genocide.
This
type
of
ignorance
has
been
targeted
against
people
of
color
far
too
long,
and
in
many
cases,
has
led
to
the
annihilation
of
countless
generations.
The
Identity
Theft
exhibit
is
designed
as
a
learning
tool
to
confront
negative
stereotypes
and
challenge
the
misconceptions
that
many
Americans
have
and
that
plague
Black
people
and
people
of
color.
I
have
included
in
each
work
of
art
aspects
of
history,
race,
technology,
and
lastly,
religion
and
hope.
I
strongly
believe
these
categories
need
to
be
re-examined
and
corrected;
the
truth
must
be
told.
Not
understanding
one’s
place
in
life
can
easily
corrupt
a
mind.
This
leads
to
self-hatred,
which,
in
my
opinion,
has
greater
power
than
any
manmade
weapon
of
mass
destruction.
My
way
of
making
a
change
comes
through
my
ART.
This
is
a
non-violent
approach
created
to
bring
awareness,
enhance
our
civilization,
and
help
us
get
our
identity
back.