TO BE YOUNG, GIFTED, AND BLACK

The hoodie has long been associated with a racist stereotype of criminality in Black communities and a device for racial profiling.

In To Be Young, Gifted, and Black, Kent utilizes silhouettes of himself wearing a hoodie as the centerpiece for a series of paintings and drawings. The pose and garments that dress his silhouette change from painting to painting, but in each piece, he dons a hoodie. The collection is an homage to the powerful symbol of the garment, a conduit for articulating a larger message: That Black individuals are at once vulnerable and a perceived threat in today’s racialized world. This collection challenges the audience to face their preconceptions and reevaluate the stories shaping their worldview.