DIGITAL RESIDENT

All digital residencies are posted on our instagram account and archived in the highlights.

DARIUS SCOTT

jULY 10 - JULY 13, 2020

My name is Darius, I am FRO LITES. I am an artist, a skateboarder, a coder. If I had to describe my Instagram feed in 5 words they would be: Graffiti, Murals, Creative-Coding, Local, Artivism. I look at art as a means of communication and idolize the artists who are masters of their craft and use their mastery to influence conversations.

I paint masks. In an environment where public expression is criminalized, the masks protect the identities of influential people, allowing them to create and express freely, without fear of losing their livelihood because they had been caught on camera attempting to share their perspectives with the world.

American Ideal & America In Distress

The first mask I will address is titled “American Ideal”. It, and by extension it’s wearer, represents the “Perfect America” which was taught in school, an America which upholds liberty and justice for all. Its wearer believes that America tries its best to ensure this policy, but nobody’s perfect, and time should be allowed for social change, just as history textbooks have taught.

The second mask is titled “America In Distress”. It represents enlightenment towards America’s perpetual failure to keep its promises and the extent of harm caused by this failure. When its wearer hears the phrase “Liberty and Justice for All” they are reminded of a goal not yet achieved and will not give America the credit of standing for that ideal until it has truly been met. Its wearer believes America will one day live up to its claims and will continue to protest any current system in place preventing them from being achieved.

I now wear America In Distress more than American Ideal, and it has taken me years to achieve such a feat. It is a reminder to myself and those who view it that there is much to strive for and America is far from perfect. I ask myself every time before putting it on for the world to see, “are you wearing this because you are dedicated to change, or because at the moment it will make you more popular?” and only continue to wear it if my beliefs are aligned with those the mask upholds.

I fear that too many Americans believe they live in the American ideal and flirt with the idea that America is in distress only when their morals are in question or it is convenient to do so. I used to have this same luxury until I realized I was a black teenage boy growing up in America.