'RISE UP' Art Show of Murals from New York City George Floyd Protests
NORTH ADAMS, MASS. — Murals, painted by artist Ariel Klein and other locals from the Inwood section of Manhattan, will be shown at the "RISE UP" show at the Eclipse Mill Artist Lofts from Oct. 7 - Nov. 11.
For the first time since a series of protests hit New York City in the wake of the George Floyd police killing, paintings that covered boarded-up storefronts in Upper Manhattan amid the uprisings will be on display in a gallery setting.
"This work is heavily influenced by slogans I read at protests and the George Floyd memorial painting in Houston," Klein said in a statement.
The paintings include depictions of Floyd, the 46-year-old black man killed by Minneapolis police officers in May, as well as a number of slogans and other images that capture the spirit of New York amid the uprisings.
Most of the murals appear on plywood panels that were erected on Inwood storefronts to thwart potential looters as the social unrest gripped the city for several days this summer.
For Klein, the show is a visual representation of his reaction to recent outbursts of police brutality and the uprisings that followed in the streets.
"I see this work not only as art, more so, it is a gut reaction driven by a sense of urgency to respond to the slaughter of George Floyd," he added. "The George Floyd protests in NY and elsewhere were silenced by a curfew set in place. This show aims to confront police brutality head on and fight against racism."
Klein, a resident of the Eclipse Mill Artist Lofts, is an accomplished visual artist and graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art of Baltimore.
Rise Up is curated by Laurie Miles. The exhibition is open by appointment only.
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