A written-audio-visual Triptych: VICTORY!

Using the composition from Walter Kuhn’s 1931, “Clown with Red Wig,” this painting aims to appropriate and create a closer relationship with aesthetic nuances. In this instance, the original clown face is considered and re-imagined to the masks referenced in the 1995 film, ‘Dead Presidents”. To engage and confront, an audio component is added. The audio was originally recorded on the Metro Transit in Los Angeles. 

Progress Photo, 2021, Self-Portrait

I visited the Dallas Museum of Art, and although I enjoyed all of the artwork, a piece that I have continued to visit is “Clown with Red Wig. The lighting, the spotlight on the clown- its illusion is believable. The texture of the painting is consistent and translates to this monochromatic feeling of a sadness further strengthened by the burrowed frown in the clown’s eyebrows. I wanted to input a version of myself into the same composition- I did not feel that the clown was representative of a mutual experience and so I considered the faces created for Dead Presidents. More relatable and relevant to my experience of being a woman, Black, and living in America.

“Clown with Red Wig,” 1931, Walter Kuhn

“Dead Presidents”, 1995, Rose Jackson as Juanita

The face represents an idea: 

The lesser narrative has been imposed on you-
  you are not the lesser, but they will make you 
  feel like you are-

Systems have been put in place to keep you beneath-
You will join the system and think-

VICTORY!

Then, the system will retreat and watch you fend.
You will fend with moral, and then you will have to survive.

You will survive.

.
Your survival is not socially moral,
But you need context

Its' all been imposed on you.

You internalize and self-destruct.

Systems have been put in place to keep you beneath-
You will join the system and think, 

VICTORY!

Then, the system will retreat and watch you fend

"VICTORY! You Are Not the Lesser-" Oil paint, Acrylic paint, String, Clay, Tape, and Cloth on canvas, 36 x 48 in., (2021)

The idea is presented with audio captured while on public transit. A written-audio-physical triptych, the audio is experienced through energized enunciation and narrative. A man speaks boldly in a public space- the reduction of original video content prompts the listener to think about their assumptions, biases, and prejudiced perspectives in addition to the audio's relationship to the artwork.

In many ways I am questioning, in what ways do I relate to Kuhn’s painting. Or, how can I apply this work to my personal self; how can my identity be captured using this composition (?).