Saturday: Chalk Mugshots Rest on Asphalt Paper at MoMA PS1

August 21, 2015, 1:50pm

The weather’s getting slightly cooler, but MoMA PS1 has stayed cool all summer. Andrés, Kyle Hall, Pender Street Steppers, Hashman Deejay, and Laraaji are on deck for this weekend’s Warm Up, and so is Titus Kaphar’s Selections from Asphalt and Chalk. The chalk sketches present unapologetic mugshots, and according MoMA PS1’s description, investigate “racial injustice through the vagaries of the justice and penal systems in contemporary American society.”

All of the sketches are actually based on the prison photographs of over 100 incarcerees all named Jerome, which is Kaphar’s father’s name. The artist uncovered his subject matter when researching his father’s prison record. Chalk and asphalt, thus, are used as a reminder of the chalk outlines on the sidewalks surrounding Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and the countless other victims of police abuse. Take a look at two of the Jeromes above, and witness them for yourself at PS1 tomorrow.