Lorraine Bonner is an AMAZING Bay Area artist who was just introduced to me by my co-worker, Erica. I was immediately drawn to her work. It hits me right in the chest, like a slug from a Smith & Wesson. Her work is powerful, thought provoking, and very particular to the experience of people of the African Diaspora. I won't say very much about the work, because it is DEEP! Some folks may not like the direct nature of her pieces, but her work is not meant for the weak. She uses contrasting clay to not only add drama, but to help us focus on the real issues being addressed by the Perpetrator. Don't get it twisted, although the clay used to represent the Perpetrator is stark white, it is not ONLY white folks who play the Perpetrator. If anything, the Perpetrator is starting to take hold within the international Black community, and even more so, today, the perpetrator is starting to take hold from within the individual.
Check out this quote from Bonner's Artist's Statement: "I believe that we must break free of denial and bear witness to our own and one another's pain. We must do so holding in our hearts our connection to the stars, the mountains, the vast larger world within which we live, the unimaginable beauty in which we participate. How else can we heal the world and have hope for a future as a species?"
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