People

                                        Jean-Michel Basquiat: People                                1983

        Simple things can be so powerful. Who knows what the troubled punk-rocker-homeless-heroin-addict-talented-artist Basquiat wanted to tell the world with this little piece of art? Only he would, but he took it to his grave.

       For me, Jesus’ picture popped up first in my mind because of the crucified position of the figure. My daughter says she sees a penguin, hah. The word “people” is crossed out like they were crucified in some way, or as if people are failures who need to be liquidated. Give up on us, God. We are not worth the effort.

      But despite the artist feeling disillusioned, I cannot give up on people. Erase the crossing line from the word “people”, and draw the same figure on either side of the crucified one, as if they were holding each other’s hands.