Study of the Slave Gun Cycle (proof on white paper)
Study of the Slave Gun Cycle (proof on white paper)
$400.00
29”×31”, linocut print with oli based ink on white Hahnemühle paper. Only two unique proofs. Printed in Providence in 2024.
This piece explores the "slave gun cycle" in the 18th century British Slave trade in West Africa and the connections to present day gun violence in Baltimore. Lee-Johnson creates a diagram of a glock with fantastical sci-fi and comic book hero aesthetics to unpack the links of 18th century African kingdoms using firearms they traded with Europeans to raid neighboring communities and acquire slaves to exchange for more guns, creating a vicious cycle of violence and enslavement tethered to gang culture and gun violence today.