Roscoe Hall

Over 300, 2024-25

Ingredients: 50g acrylic, 30g oil, pastel, 2oz. Red clay pigment, 14oz. yam pigment, 2lbs. denim, ½ torn Porter shirt, indica vape, ink, thoughts of Harriet Tubman, 15g coals from Sloss Furnace, and love on canvas.

Thoughts: This work explores the universal and timeless quest for freedom, capturing the tension between survival and resistance. The burnt-out matches, as tall as trees, symbolize the stations along a journey, whether across borders, through cities, or within systems of control. At the stems, figures flee toward something beyond survival—toward a new version of freedom. Though rooted in the past, this image speaks to today’s migrations and struggles, where people continue to run toward safety, education, and a future full of possibility. Each match is a symbol of both refuge and danger, representing the constant push and pull between hope and risk in

the pursuit of a better life. Not every day is gray; some moments are vivid with the colors of possibility, even in the face of oppressive forces. This painting disrupts time, blending history with the present, asking what freedom looks like today and how we can continue to spark change.

48”x60”

$10,500