Mocking Us
Darius Hill • Digital image on panel
Artist’s statement: “As an artist of African descent, my experience is grounded in the history of my ancestors and their culture. How they came to be in America and their struggle to overcome the slavery of early- to mid-America and the murderous bigotry as recent as 50 years ago is inherently etched in my soul. My knowledge of history and
stories told to me by my parents, who struggled to raise a family in Birmingham, Ala., during the civil rights movement, brings home the truth of these times. Recently, I have felt compelled to make art that speaks directly about my experience as an African American; a personal, in-depth investigation into my family’s heritage. Naturally, I was intrigued by the opportunity to create a work based on To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Besides being one of the most compelling stories ever written and the fact that my wife and I named our son Atticus after the character Atticus Finch, I have always been interested in the fact that the story was written during the peak of the civil rights movement in the United States—how the times can inspire great art.”