Endemic : 2022 Mass Shootings
Endemic : 2022 is an endurance painting project conceptualized during 365 : 365. The concept of a durational painting practice that functioned as markers over a set time proved intriguing. It prompted the consideration of connecting it to a larger societal epidemic. Mass shootings in America are not a new occurrence, but since the end of the 20th century, their existence has been rapidly increasing to the point that we are becoming culturally desensitized.
Endemic : 2022 focuses on creating a singular painting for every mass shooting reported on the gun violence archive throughout
2022. The paintings consist of 8-inch x 8-inch linen canvases primed in red. White encaustic paint is then systematically applied over the red canvases for eight minutes. After eight minutes, two numbers are carved into the canvas's face. The more significant is the numbered killed and the smaller the injured. The eight-minute time frame correlates with the average time between a reported mass shooting and first responders on the scene. The covering of the red with white represents the political and cultural whitewashing of the blood spilled.
Supplemental pieces are being created in conjunction with the painted markers, but the markers are central to this project.
My objective is to present the enormity of our mass shooting epidemic to the public creating a space for much need conversations.