T H X S I S A M X R I C A

The second Gambino piece I painted. This image was a fun cerebral experience because I really immersed myself in the research process.

Anyone who's seen the music video for This is America knows how much symbolism is in it. I really latched on to the red of the fabric used to carry away the guns. Red can represent the Republican States that value guns over black lives and so I wanted to flip the script, and adorn Gambino with beautiful red flowers.

The flowers I've chosen are from a Kehinde Wiley painting titled Judith Beheading Holofernes, a reinterpretation of the original Caravaggio classic. Wiley's practice is grounded in reimagining Old Masters' paintings with black and brown individuals, depicting them with poise, heroism, and grandeur - we become the protagonists in his botanical universes. This particular painting in question replaces Judith with a tall and elegant black woman with a brunette's head in hand.