George Floyd’s Last Words Were Flown on Banners Over Cities Across America as a Rapid-Response Public Art Project
As activists staged demonstrations across the US on Saturday,
protesting the murder of George Floyd and the many black people
before him killed at the hands of police, artist Jammie Holmes took to the skies,
hiring airplanes to fly banners featuring Floyd’s last words
over Detroit, Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York.
The art piece, titled They’re Going to Kill Me, was
something of a departure for Holmes. The 36-year-old is known for
his figurative painting inspired by his experiences as a black man
in the US. But Floyd’s words spoke for themselves, no imagery
needed.
“Please, I can’t breathe.” “My stomach hurts.” “My neck hurts.”
“Everything hurts.” “They’re going to kill me.” That’s what Floyd
said in his final moments, his neck pinned under Minneapolis police
officer Derek Chauvin’s knee for over eight minutes.
Repurposing these words as a work of art “underlines a need for
unity and the conviction that what happened to George Floyd is
happening all over America,” Holmes said in a statement.
Jammie Holmes, They’re Going to Kill
Me (New York City), 2020. Photo courtesy of the artist and
Library Street Collective.
With his gallery, Detroit’s Library Street Collective, Holmes
hired the planes to fly overhead nearly all day, from 11:30
a.m. to 9 p.m. EST. The entire project was planned and executed in
less than 48 hours.
The artist chose the unusual medium because airplane banners are
usually used by corporations to promote their products, or wealthy
people looking for a flashy marriage proposal. “It is rarely used
for political or social purposes—to exercise free speech—because it
is an outlet unavailable to the poor and marginalized,” Holmes
explained. “I hope that people will be reminded of the power we can
have to be heard and that coming together behind a unified message
is key for real change.”
The Louisiana-born artist, whose work has been collected by the
likes of Lenny Kravitz and Beth Rudin DeWoody, resisted formal
training and painted on the side during four years in the army and
14 years working in an oil field. But after moving to Dallas in
2016, he realized he could make a living with his art full-time
last year.
“Like countless silenced and fearful young black men, I have
been the victim of police misconduct on a number of occasions in my
life,” Holmes added. “At some point, they will realize they can’t
kill us all.”
See more photos of the demonstration below.
Jammie Holmes, They’re Going to Kill
Me (New York City), 2020. Photo by Sue Kwon, courtesy of the
artist and Library Street Collective.
Jammie Holmes, My Stomach Hurts
(Miami), 2020. Photo courtesy of the artist and Library Street
Collective.
Jammie Holmes, My Stomach Hurts
(Miami), 2020. Photo by Andre De Aguilar, courtesy of the
artist and Library Street Collective.
Jammie Holmes, My Neck Hurts
(Dallas), 2020. Photo courtesy of the artist and Library
Street Collective.
Jammie Holmes, My Neck Hurts
(Dallas), 2020. Photo by Mark LaBoyteaux, courtesy of the
artist and Library Street Collective.
Jammie Holmes, Everything Hurts (Los
Angeles), 2020. Photo courtesy of the artist and Library
Street Collective.
Jammie Holmes, Everything Hurts (Los
Angeles), 2020. Photo by Ricky Fabrizio, courtesy of the
artist and Library Street Collective.
Jammie Holmes, Please I Can’t
Breathe (Detroit), 2020. Photo courtesy of the artist and
Library Street Collective.
Jammie Holmes, Please I Can’t
Breathe (Detroit), 2020. Photo by Hayden Stinebaugh, courtesy
of the artist and Library Street Collective.
The post George Floyd’s Last Words Were Flown on Banners
Over Cities Across America as a Rapid-Response Public Art
Project appeared first on artnet News.
Read more https://news.artnet.com/art-world/jammie-holmes-george-floyd-public-art-airplane-banners-1877235
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