In this day and age, we, artists and American’s, carefully try to avoid stereotypes,
circumventing issues of gender, sexuality, race, etc. In conclusion we often end up sounding more offensive and simple-minded. Interaction with a subject so strongly, makes me think of outrageous events and activities that came upon my life while being an African American male, living on the South Side of Chicago. African-American individuals, cultural background, and experiences that take place throughout lower class environments all suggest a representation that's brought to the table to progress a lethal message that is represented throughout my work and aesthetic.
Valuing identity, beauty and, race through capturing an image answers the question “How do we define AfricanAmerican Identity in art?” Traveling from location to location made an opening for me to find a better understanding that grasps the nature of beauty and I find it through the things that build me today. Capturing the essence of such beautiful African Americans, it opened my eyes and mind to other subjects and individuals that possess beauty. Which led me into the direction of finding inner-self identity. Focusing on the beauty and challenges that lay inside myself. I challenged myself and developed a perception that emphasis on home and the inner feelings that made me who I am today
Bruce Bennett