Reflect Repent Repeat: What’s Left
Bricks are the first and last weapon of the people. They are rubble. They are cities. They are tools. They are weapons of resistance.
This installation was created in response to the ongoing genocides of the Palestinian people, the Congolese people, and the Sudanese people, as well as the continued imperial violence around the world. Colonialism is the root of our struggles, and it begins with division, apartheid, and complacency. This complicity in atrocities defines our era as we go through the motions of performative reflection and repentance that we repeat and cast aside. Day by day as the violence continued, the bricks were painted red. The message formed by the bricks in the piece is only visible by looking into the mirrors, forcing us to see our faces and confront ourselves as we read. It is my attempt through art to break the cycle.
They build our cities. line our streets. build walls and skyscrapers and homes. They make warehouses and chimneys. ovens and terraces. Load bearing and bearing weight. they line the hollowed out pool. They weigh us down. foundation. Grounding. Floors. Ceilings. Roofs. A planter. A birdbath. Garden path. They built the stone wall. they hold fire. enclose. Circle the tree.
Following this installation, I created a gallery show, We’re Watching, in which I utilized these photos, along with others taken at various protests, as well as the bricks.
