Anthony Peyton Young’s ongoing project, “They Have Names,” memorializes Black lives that were taken by police brutality. In this article, Young recounts the thoughts behind his project, and how collector Scott Lorinsky came to acquire a piece of his from a recent solo show.
Anthony Peyton Young / They Have Names I:
Tamir Rice 12
Trayvon Martin 17
Mike Brown 18
Christian Taylor 19
Rumain Brisbon 34
2018 (oil on linen)
Anthony Peyton Young: “Through painting and drawing, I investigate fabrications, fears, and false conceptions associated with Black bodies that are delivered to us through popular culture, the news media, whitewashed history, and racial stereotypes that have continuously morphed throughout time.
These works incorporate symbolic materials such as bleach, chalk, and asphalt paper to reflect the vulnerabilities connected to and branded into Black bodies through policing, social media, and cultural imprinting. In my ongoing project, ‘They Have Names,’ I use portraiture to immortalize those who have been murdered because of hate crimes, police brutality, and fears associated with racial stereotyping—their names being all too often forgotten.”
Anthony Peyton Young / Say Their Names IV:
Paris Cameron 20, May 25, 2019
Layleen Xtravaganza 27, June 7, 2019,
Brooklyn Lindsey 32, June 25, 2019
Tracy Single 22, July 30, 2019
Bee Love Slater 23, September 4, 2019
Breonna Be’Be Hill 30, October 14, 2019
Color pencil collage, 2020
“I started this series in 2017, with a few collages I created using several portraits of unarmed Black men and children who were murdered due to racial profiling and police brutality. Over time I’ve expanded the series to focus on a mixture of different Black lives that have all been taken, ranging from queer, trans, women, men, and children. With the continuous violence against Black bodies and discrimination still happening full force, even after the protest, it has pushed me to recommit to developing this body of work. All the recent violence and protesting have made me think about the numerous and the variety of Black lives that have been lost.”
Work in progress. Courtesy the artist.
“As for my thoughts on the future, I think that we have a ways to go before we really see the change we’re fighting for, but it has to be a group effort. Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it’s going to take the village of the world to make any lasting change. We all must remain vigilant in the fight against discrimination, systematic racism, and white supremacy. In this fight, no ally can be silent or turn a blind eye to injustice in any form.”
Anthony Peyton Young / They Have Names III:
Trayvon Benjamin Martin, 17, February 5, 2016
Christian Taylor, 19, August 7, 2015
Tony Robinson, 19, March 6, 2015
Victor White III, 22, March 3, 2014
Jonathan Ferrell, 24, September 14, 2013
Keith Lamont Scott, 43, September 20, 2016
Bleach and oil on canvas, 2018
Collector Scott Lorinsky, regarding Anthony Young’s “They Have Names III: Emmett Till 14 Mike Brown 18 Sean Bell 23 Jon Ferrell 24 Rumain Brisbon 34 Terence Crutcher 40”:
“I had reached out to David Guerra at AREA Gallery in Boston in late December 2019, in connection with the artist’s solo exhibition ‘Passage: A Space Between Too Much and Never Enough’, which took place from December 20, 2019 through February 2, 2020 at AREA Gallery. I had seen the artist’s work online earlier, and was especially impressed by his drawings.”
Anthony Peyton Young / “They Have Names III:
Emmett Till 14
Mike Brown 18
Sean Bell 23
Jon Ferrell 24
Rumain Brisbon 34
Terence Crutcher 40”
Bleach and oil on canvas, 2019
Courtesy Lorinsky Collection