A series of hyper-realistic sculptures (in progress) about the very real fear Black Americans have of dying at the hands of police..

“12 Commandments” is a play on words derived from the 10 commandments. The 10 commandments are a set of moral governing principles that underpin Christianity and Judaism. Black Americans are among the most faithful groups and subscribe predominantly to the 10 commandments. “12” is slang meaning “police” derived from rap culture. Police have killed 21,000 Americans since the year 2000 with Black and brown people predominantly being at the receiving end of a service weapon. In 2020 they killed 564 people when the piece was conceived. Directly in conflict with commandments like “Thou shalt not kill” and “Thou shalt not bear false witness”, police have historically used the power of their position to justify demonizing, arresting, maiming and killing black people in this country. “Hands where I can see them”, “Hands behind your head”, “Get on your knees”, “Get on the ground” and “Stop resisting” are all commands intended for depiction. The resulting series will highlight how even during times of compliance these commands end in the death of black people and are out of moral compliance. This project is not meant to demonize police and will not include any visual elements that demean, undermine or negatively present the police department. One goal of the project is to create space for conversations related to the realities of Black American life.

The long-term goal is to create 20-foot monuments out of one or more of the 12 sculptures