Detour2020

42.5” x 59”

Acrylic, graphite and spray paint on Arches paper

Taking a detour from my own, on-going artistic exploration, I decided to approach this work as an opportunity to comment on the function of art in the life of our city and our shared experience as a community. In a time when we seem to have lost sight of the things that define us as people, art raises its voice. Detour 2020 is inspired in the home-made signs one would find at demonstrations and political rallies. Art itself protesting and claiming a place in our lives – no time for decoration, or contemplative meanderings. I wanted this piece to be direct and raw, the words calling attention to who we are by connecting us to our time and our place. Above all, I call upon the people both as operators and customers of the society we are building together.

A safety cone stands defiant at the center of the piece as a warning, a detour, a symbol of a work in progress and a marker showing us the way. This is what art does and I wanted to remind us all that without art we are lost.

This piece is also available as an animated NFT and is on auction on rarible.com. View NFT here

“Detour 2020” was commissioned by the Mayfest organization as the featured image for the festival’s 2020 edition.