UNITY.
CHARCOAL. 20 " x 20."

Available sizes:

8.5" x 11" open edition print
11" x 14" open edition print
18" x 18" signed and numbered, limited edition print (out of 250)

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About the Piece:

This is the fifth piece in my Gesture series, a series of works that use imagery of my own hands.  I start with a basic concept, one that by definition is concise and easily understood.  However, these concepts often are viewed differently by each of us, as our experiences and point of view greatly affect our interpretation and personal meaning of these ideas.  From this simple concept, I use the imagery of hands to build upon the idea and make it my own.

Unity represents the prejudice and arrogance that many feel over those different from them.  Whether it is race, class, gender, sexual preference, etc., all of these things influence the way that we perceive, react, and treat others.  The amusing reality is while one person or group feels to be better over another, the latter might feel the same over another, and so on, forming a vicious loop.

The piece was inspired by a discussion/argument that a group of us had a few weeks ago.  We argued about the fairness of society and government, that our laws forbid overt discrimination, yet it still exists in every facet of society because of people's inherent feelings about those different from themselves.  It is not until we confront those prejudices and realize that we are the same and equal.  Even then we will never have true equality.  The problem is how to convince people that their prejudice is irrational.

I also considered naming this piece Dominance.  While the imagery depicts a physical control, it is not about a physical dominance over others.  As a society we have progressed in this area already, it may not be solved, but it is not as prevalent.  Now the problems stem from our feelings and emotions toward others, and that is what we need to change in order to solve these problems. I also intended to title this piece, Supremacy, but there are just too many negative connotations with that word to be able to use it without prejudice.

This piece is in the private collection of Janice Suddath.