For Freddie
This is a response to the death of Freddie Gray, the young man in Baltimore who in 2015 died from injuries sustained while in police custody. This creature’s legs, rear, and lower back are a wheat-pasted ink drawing adhered to the wall. The legs of the figure are spread wide apart- in the position, as one would assume when getting searched by the cops. The head is made of plastic sheeting with shards of wood jutting outward, acting as teeth, tusk or claws. Tentacles, which hang from its head, are seat belt straps found in an automotive scrap yard. They also reference language and Freddie Gray’s untimely demise. Gray wasn’t strapped into his seat belt while in custody in the police van. To be “strapped” is slang for having a weapon on you, which is what cops initially reported as justification for their actions. One can also be “strapped” for cash and there is the adage to “pull yourself up by the bootstraps”. Gray was from one of the poorest neighborhoods in Baltimore.
