Trigger Warning

“My inspiration for this composition and its title comes during a long period— lasting to this day and most likely for the remainder of my life—where the exposure of racialized actions in media and my personal experiences seems to be a constant barrage, to which I must constantly be reacting. The imagery of arms and hands grappling with one another serves as a reminder that the colour of our skin, the marks of red, blue, black, & steel we lay upon them, and the actions we undertake are equal to our visages or personalities as constituents of our identity.

“...be it the artist or other, triggering a reflex to help, turn away, or simply observe.”

Racialized transgressions do not solely occur between a majority and a minority; rather, they operate intersectionally between races, colours, genders, and cultures. The act of creating a composition such as this reveals how I as the artist can find myself being a bystander or observer of racialized actions, yet the use of my own arms to model the characters represents how I too will participate in microaggressions and other racialized actions. More importantly, the imagery of violence activates empathy or sympathy within the viewer, be it the artist or other, triggering a reflex to help, turn away, or simply observe.”