Black deaths in custody are once again in the political spotlight, both in America, due to the unjust killing of George Floyd alongside many others, and in Australia, due to the recent inquest into the death of David Dungay. These Black men died a world apart, united by the same final words, ‘I can’t breathe’. Tragedies of this nature are by no means new, but the worldwide protests prove that more people are starting to listen. It’s taken centuries for that to happen, and we should spend some time thinking about how and why that is the case.

There has rightly been a focus on the important role of viral recordings of injustice sparking mass protests through social media, but as an artist, I’ve been thinking about the place of public artworks in revolutionary moments. For example, one way to get people’s attention is to paint a statement in 35-foot-high letters on the road leading up to the White House. On June 5th, a collective of artists commissioned by DC mayor Muriel Bowser did just that.