Trinidadian artist Miles Regis searches for hope and meaning in the ugly and chaotic. An astute social commentator drawing from his experience as a Black man who emigrated to America 31 years ago, Regis imbues each canvas with a rich visual narrative dealing with racial injustice, identity politics and the healing power of unification. The impeccably crafted mixed-media paintings in “Better Days Ahead” fuse image with text to create moving portraits of the pain and frustration of our contemporary world while simultaneously translating these emotions into idiosyncratic beauty.

Upon entering the gallery, viewers are immediately transported back to the summer of 2020 and the raw heat of protests that suffused the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Rife with scenes of homebound families and political strife, the works are unambiguously of the moment. Regis is not concerned with creating a time capsule, however, but with representing how the sense of unrest that gripped the nation is inescapable for Black Americans and pervades all aspects of their daily lives. His vivid hues and active compositions burst with hurt and anguish, as well as harmony and hope. 

One striking painting Be Careful (2017, 51” x 47”) of a Black figure with exaggerated features is encircled with frenzied swaths of color and lines, watchful eyes and dire warnings: “Everybody Is Watching,” “Don’t Be The Stereotype.” Of similar scale America (2020) declares, “I Can’t Breathe” on a sign flanked by masked protestors of various skin tones but similarly raised fists. The largest, 70”x 56”, and one of the most arresting pieces, We Just Tired (2021), shows a lone Black woman standing in darkness, shrouded with flames, raising a sign that speaks the words of its title. Their pain and hardened courage are palpable in their expressions. 

Regis’ paintings are often finished with splatters of paint droplets and frenetic etchings across the surface of the canvas—personal touches that point to the exasperated urgency of both the artist and his subjects. In settings of domestic leisure just as in those of political action, Regis’s all-Black subjects do not smile; rather, they are wary-eyed and morose, imparting the feeling that they are pensively waiting, never feeling completely safe or at ease. 

And yet, Regis’ positive message of healing through togetherness is equally as loud as his condemnation of racial injustice. An unmistakable optimism permeates each piece, and his paintings are ultimately celebrations of Black resilience and harbingers of hope. In the same breath, he proclaims pride in his identity and faith in the future of our nation. Sweet Surrender (2021) measures 56”x 44” and depicts a couple bowing their heads together, showing us that moments of compassion are still within our grasp, as long as we remember to turn to one another for solace. In the Connected (2021, 33”x32”), a kaleidoscopic diagram of Black profiles welded in a ring of light echoes this sentiment: We are all “Connected.” These works are hard to look at, yet impossible to look away from.