2014
Charcoal on paper
18″ x 21″
There is a standoff between what society deems acceptable, and what it finds despicable. We tend to hold those who are able to find steady, well-paying jobs as the high watermark, a symbol of what it is to be successful in this society.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the citizens which society deems unacceptable, unsavoury: criminals.
For those who have been rehabilitated and released from imprisonment, there is a constant struggle with finding gainful employment. The stigma of their incarceration is always present, regardless of how they have changed as a person. They are judged, and withheld from being able to improve their lives. For some people, this stigma is present from the outset, even without committing a crime. The way they look, they way the dress. Their manner of speaking, or the colour of their skin. They are automatically stereotyped.
They might as well go into a job interview with handcuffs on their wrists.