On the wall of my studio, I have the Image of Divine Mercy next to a protest posted I carried in the Spring of 2020 while protesting the murder of George Floyd.  

The Image of Divine Mercy is venerated by many Catholics around the world, myself included. In 1931, our Lord appeared to St. Faustina Kowalska in a vision. She saw Jesus clothed in a white garment with His right hand raised in blessing. Two rays of color stream out of the heart of Jesus a rich red to symbolize the blood of Jesus, and a pale silver blue to symbolize the water that purifies the soul. The image is a symbol of charity, forgiveness, and the love of God. In her vision, God instructed St. Faustina “paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish” (Kowalska, 47). I spray-painted the phrase “Jesus, I trust in You” into the canvas in its original Polish “ Jezu Ufam Tobie.”

George Floyd was a black man murdered by Derek Chauvin while in police custody under suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. I spray-painted “I can’t breath” onto the canvas. The phrase originates from the last words of Eric Garner, an unarmed man who was killed in 2014 after being put in a chokehold by a New York City Police Officer. "I Can't Breathe Mama," were some of the last words said by George Floyd while he was being murdered. I also spray-painted the number 8:46 on the canvas, the duration of time that Chauvin reportedly spent kneeling on the neck of George Floyd while he lay dying.