WORKS ON PAPER
Spray paint, canvas, paint marker, paper and cardboard on Canson 140 lb. paper
65 x 50 cm
2023
The collages were inspired by my learning about a discriminatory practice here in Portugal where some business owners place a ceramic statue of a frog in the window or at the entrance of their establishment to discourage the Romani from entering. According to a number of sources, the Romani have an aversion to frogs. Frogs are apparently considered to be bad luck in Roma culture: unclean, impure or marime.
The statues are usually a bright, almost unpleasant, apple green and are fashioned as stylized, cartoon-like frogs. They can be found in the garden section of most stores in Portugal. It is disturbing to witness items, which were originally intended as garden decor, used as symbols of racism.