#InHonor: Monoliths: Ervin A. Johnson

Ervin A. Johnson states: Technique has evolved since the birth of #InHonor in 2015. Process is still informed by the abstract expressionist movement, in that paint is introduced to the photographic material in a metaphoric way as a stand in for physical and mental abuse done to black bodies. However the focus is not on the destructive nature of racism as a physical manifestation in the work. That is to say, “destruction” occurs more subtly as the work has evolved. Removing pigment and adding back from the photo on the first layer, in a not so accurate way becomes a commentary on the mishandling of the black body and also how because “Blackness” is often times viewed as monolithic. Colors used in the second layer aren’t specific to each individual. By adding the pigment back by hand I care for my brothers and sisters and forge for them a new existence, which is typical of the black experience, making something out of nothing.