The Base:
The base measures 44 by 27 inches at the bottom. It is 36 inches high, and measures 36 by 18 inches at the top surface. It is made of wood and reinforced with Bondo
The Figures:
The figures are cast from three separate molds: the face, torso and arms. They are identical in every way except for different hair and skin color (like human beings in general). Their faces are identical…yes, look close. The barriers are made of wood with each brick glued into place to create relief. Their hands are my first attempt at creating hands with each finger made separately so as to establish the most dynamic and life-like appearance possible. Each hand is entirely different.
The Subject:
The two children are separated by man-made barriers, as in society, to protect their corresponding “groups” from each other. The black child is restrained in behind older walls, and the white child is “protected” behind more modern and stalwart walls. Thie walls are symbolic of older established racism and newer “protection” from groups that are feared. Despite barriers created for them, they are reaching out to each other. They have not been taught to hate each other (as we are not born with hate), so they are reaching out to each other in potential friendship that rises above the rest of the world. They are not actually smiling or frowning, and they are not afraid of each other. The phrases along all four sides of the base annunciate how hate is the choice of failure and defeat, and each ends with an arrow because the observer is meant to read all the messages and at the same time view the work from all four sides to see all perspectives possible. It is only by viewing racism from all perspectives that progress can be attained.The mirror enables the hands to be visible from below.
Materials:
Bondo, wood, (wig and eyelashes are store bought), all paint is Delco Ceramcoat acrylic, mirrored glass
Completed:
June 2020
