A visual allegory of how mass incarceration affects BIPOC communities and continues the lineage of slavery even today. 

The title To Be Continued insinuates the continuance of something or more to come. The 13th Amendment is well known for the abolishment of slavery in the United States. However, a section of the amendment further allows slavery in terms of punishment and confinement. The specific text states “…except as punishment for a crime.”. The connecting words provide a loophole in the fulfillment of true abolishment and for allowing slavery to be continued. This loophole allowed for former slaves to be left with inferior statuses by way of Black Codes in the South and for the rise of carceral means to ensure control and docility. No matter what your personal perspective may be, the importance of understanding this lineage is imperative in not repeating these transgressions. With that being said, there are arguably a multitude of other factors that tie into this subject including the evolution of capitalism, white supremacy, and positions of power and control. 

The purpose of this exhibition is to showcase these pieces of art from the perspectives of the criminalized. As a painter, I look at my artistic prowess as an actor would in preparing for a role. My goal is to envelop myself in the subject matter in order to fully understand the thoughts and feelings they may exude so that I can visually represent them in a way that can touch the viewer's soul and be relatable. I sincerely hope that you are able to get something out of these paintings that will affect you in a way that ensures that you are aware of our history and how historical moments can compound and still impact the lives of individuals even today. If we do not educate ourselves, even on our not-so-glorious history, we are bound to repeat the same mistakes. Some questions you may ask yourself after viewing these paintings are: 

1.  Am I okay with slavery in the form of punishment and/or incarceration?  

2. Do I believe people are their worst mistakes? 

3.  What is true justice?  

3. How can I ensure history does not repeat itself? 

 Brother Joshua (1980, United States) is an artist who creates paintings as his operative mode of expression and thought. With a conceptual approach, Joshua addresses finite details in the subjects that he paints and has a strong sense of connection to every work that is created to purvey absolute truths, whatever those may be. Brother Joshua’s current focus in art trends toward sociological issues and topics that arouse an emotional response in the viewers. Many of his pieces attempt to show social class tensions in juxtaposition with long-held cognitive dissonance beliefs amongst the viewers to hold the proverbial “mirror” up to the audience creating an experience that one has to reckon with and address within oneself about perceived truths versus their actualized reality. A truth seeker by nature, it is imperative to find the relational values within a piece to ensure the symbiosis is completed within an artistic introspection. Art therefore is the final output of this process allowing the viewer to see the physical translation of these experiences and thoughts. Brother Joshua currently lives and works out of Oklahoma City.