You Are My Other Me 2020
Location: Oak Park Chicago IL
Project Description:
Art imitates life. This mural stands as a testament to the year 2020 and serves as a reminder that we are not alone. During times of great vulnerability, many feel pressured to act out of fear rather than love. It’s important to remember that societal progress comes from unity. By practicing empathy in our daily lives, we can build connections that make the world feel safer for everyone. Just like these two figures who will be forever locked in a loving embrace. They stand together, comforting each other and by doing so they build one another up.
The masks worn by the figures in this mural are a nod to life in 2020, while their uniforms serve as a tribute to all essential workers and everything they have done to keep our country together. It is important to honor these workers now and forever. They have always shown up for us, and we must continue to show up for them.
Through this transformative moment in our history, we have found ways to come together and recognize the strength in our unity. This project was about reflecting our society's current crises in a way that empowers the community. Choosing to use the message "you are my other me" (English for the Mayan phrase In Lak’ech) is meant to address the way people of color and working class people, among other groups, are systemically oppressed and exploited in this country. The premise of the message is “If I do harm to you, I do harm to myself. If I love and respect you, I love and respect myself.”