Disruption! Art and the Prison Industrial Complex, a group exhibition currently on view at Pitzer College Art Galleries, brings together artists directly impacted by the prison system and those that address it in their work. Curated by multidisciplinary artist, writer, and founder of the Prison Arts Collective, Annie Buckley, the show highlights the value of creative expression from individuals who are imprisoned in a country with problematic incarceration rates, and the transformative power of the arts.

For example, Peter Merts’ Untitled (2015) features Wilfred Mark (in black) of Dance Kaiso and some students during a drum and dance class at Salinas Valley State Prison. The joy and freedom emanating from this archival pigment print testify to the universality of dance and drums, even within the context of a flawed societal system that reduces persons down to mere numbers.

Javier Quintero, Strength, (2019), 8.5 x 5.5 in., pen on paper. Courtesy of Xochitl Quintero.

Strength (2019) by Javier Quintero features a realistically rendered pen on paper portrait that radiates the safety and security of a young child posing and smiling next to a female adult who could be the child’s mother.  The detailed chiaroscuro modeling of the faces with pen correlates to the intricate details evident in portrait tattoos. 

Tony Ramirez, from Coffee Obama series (2015),  12 3/16 x 15 3/16 in., coffee on paper. Courtesy of Annie Buckley.

Last is the work from the Coffee Obama series (2015) by Tony Ramirez, who created the piece while in a solitary cell using a handmade brush and his morning coffee on paper. Ramirez executes a likeness of the former 44th president with impeccable accuracy. Ramirez depicts the former president standing at a podium using his left hand –impressively rendered — to gesticulate during a speech.

Overall, this exhibition demonstrates a triumph of creative expression by those most impacted by the prison system, proving the valuable role art can play in the lives of incarcerated individuals.

 

Disruption! Art and the Prison Industrial Complex

September 14-December 6,  2019- at Pitzer College, Pitzer Art Galleries 1050 N Mills Ave.

Claremont, CA 91711