About.Adrian Brandon is an artist located in Brooklyn, NY. He dedicates his time and work to raising awareness for injustice for Black people, as well as celebrating the cultures within the Black community and sharing an understanding of what makes the Black community, he states,
“the unique joy, swagger, and love that is shared in our community.”“I feel very fortunate that both my parents understood the importance of creativity and pushed it on us at an early age, not necessarily to become an artist or anything like that, but just understanding that it can be a love language, it can really change an environment, it can create a home away from home, or tell a story,” says Brandon. |
“ Stolen.”Brandon has created a series titled 'Stolen', a series dedicated to the lives of Black people that were taken away from them by the hands of police. He creates powerful portraits of these individuals, sketching them, then taking the age that their lives ended and using that number as a timer of minutes he should spend colouring in each piece. This message shows a brutal reality that we're living in and the fear that Black people are undergoing of whether another innocent live may be cut short by police brutality. The varying ages of each person shows different results, children barely receiving any colour; another hard hitting but real fact when looking at Brandon's work. Here is his example of his piece on Atatiana Jefferson: Atatiana Jefferson. 28 years old, 28 minutes of colour. Stolen on October 12th, 2019 in Forth Worth, TX. She was up late with her 8-year-old nephew playing video games. The officer was responding to a neighbour calling about her front door being open. I feel rushed as I create these pieces. I want to complete their portraits so badly. To be able to see all the layers of colours in their face come to life. I feel a strong sense of panic during the process, which is a feeling Black people experience far too often when engaging with police. The timer (which I cannot see) is always in the back of my mind. How much time is left? When will this be over? I need more time... They deserve more time. (source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBOT4gvpSKN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link , Italic text are a direct extract from Brandon's post on ig, his words on this piece and personal thoughts he felt whilst creating them). |