Looking Out

Abstract

Looking Out is an exhibition centered around the relationships, stories, and expressions of an inmate, Thomas, currently serving a life sentence. The work aims to give a voice to Thomas and his family while connecting their stories with the wider issues of mass incarceration, racial injustice, and racial trauma. At the heart of the work is an exchange between Thomas and Elena. Elena is able to make work surrounding Thomas'slife, and Thomas is able to express himself in ways otherwise not usually possible due to his incarceration. Through its use of immersive, multi-sensory, and interactive artistic techniques, Looking Out aims to bring about an empathetic understanding of the lives of others while breaking down stereotypes. The work seeks to merge art and experience?more specifically, to consider the creation of new experiences, the formation of new relationships, and the construction of new memories as an art form. In this art form, Elena acts as an empath, able to relate to other individuals within their own framework of lived reality, in hope that the role of empath will stretch to the audience. Additionally, Elena attempts to demystify Thomas'sexperience, thus countering the media'sstereotype-based portrayal of incarcerated black men, while creating an outlet through which Thomas'sand his family'svoices can be heard.