ARTWORK:

Panoptic Series

This painting is based on an aerial view of the Eastern State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. In 1829, this institution became a physical representation of Christianity, structured under the idea of a Penance system. Its first inmate was Charles Williams, a black man convicted of burglary, which has a particular resonance today considering the incredibly high percentage of black men in prison. This penitentiary, based on the isolative Separate system, influenced later prisons around the world.