Original artwork description:

Based on the myth of Tantalus, a greek mythological character who was eternally punished by being placed in water beneath a fruit tree that would move, so he could never drink or eat, this piece aims to create discourse surrounding the systemic inequalities keeping positive progression out of reach. I used this piece to represent my afro-pessimistic views, that real change is a dream not reality. Black people have spent what feels like an eternity trying to fight for equality, and as much as we attempt to create change, the dismantling of racism is extremely complex and deep rooted. Until those who benefit from the systems of white supremacy help to destruct racism, change is impossible. Making reference to Marilyn Frye's birdcage analogy, the subject is a victim to our perceptual distortions. I chose to depict my subject as the Egyptian God Ra, who is always portrayed with the head of a falcon and a solar orb above his head. I made reference to this by placing the fruit above my subject’s head and the reoccurring bird symbols