ITV news: Playing the Race Card Exhibition

‘The Game Is Rigged’ artwork featured on ITV News - October 2022

The Game Is Rigged Original Art Piece

I am pleased to share that I was one of 25 black artists selected to participate in the Playing the Race Card Exhibition hosted at The Greenhalf Studio in Hastings in the United Kingdom!!

‘The Game is Rigged’ is an original art piece that I created using acrylic paint on stretched canvas to be featured in the Playing the Race Card Virtual Exhibition in May 2021. Now, I am ecstatic to see my piece be displayed in a physical exhibition so that spectators can actually see all of the details of this piece up close and personal. This opportunity means a lot to me, as I put so much thought and effort into this artwork and the meaning behind it.

What has made this opportunity even more special is that this exhibition has been covered by ITV News, a nationwide news channel in the United Kingdom that I have grown up watching with my family since I was a little girl. This was a real pinch me moment, as my artwork was clearly displayed and featured in the short video clip put together by ITV to cover this unique exhibition.

To review the news article and watch the news clip, click here !!

The Game Is Rigged is a piece depicting two people playing Black Jack. The black player’s hand consists of cards that read ‘Slavery’, ‘Prison’, ‘Oppression’, ‘Inequality’ and ‘Black Lives Matter’. These cards are not power cards and therefore, are of no value in the game. This symbolises the fact that black people are repeatedly told to ‘get over’ the past and turn a blind eye to the disproportionate incarceration rates, oppression and inequality they face. In 2020 when millions of people tried to call out the injustices faced by black people on a global scale, it was diluted by the ‘All Lives Matter’ movement, a power card held by the white player. Notably, the only power card the black player has is the Black Jack entitled ‘Systemic Racism’.

The original piece has been SOLD but limited edition prints are still available here.

The Game is Rigged was also featured in a virtual exhibition in 2021! To learn more about this virtual exhibition click here!