Stuck in Chains

 

The illustration above was made my artist Pawel Kuczynski. Most of Pawel's work hides a deeper meaning. This image caught my eye, it is captivating. What is the message that Pawel is trying to convey in this piece?

 

I find it interesting that Pawel is having the dark skinned man paint his chains gold. If it is a representation of slavery in American, the chains used at that time were iron. So why paint them gold?

LeVar Burton in Roots

The above images are of LeVar Burton who played in the mini series,  Roots. LeVar's part was that of a slave during the 1860's, the chains he is wearing mimic the chains in the illustration. This leads me to believe that Pawel is referring to African American slaves during this time frame. But again I wonder why the slave is painting the chains gold.



I found this modern picture of the R&B singer 50 cent. As you can see 50 is wearing chains on his neck and wrists. Could it be possible that Pawel was insinuating that slaves were in chains then and future generations are still in them? Although 50 cent is nowhere near a slave, it makes me believe that Pawel is trying to make a connection.

 

It is possible to wonder if this famous rapper is wearing heavy gold chains to represent his ancestry. If so, then the embellishment of gold and diamonds could be inferring that they have overcome and are no longer repressed. 

 

I think Pawel was trying to make us think outside of the box when he created the first illustration. I'm sure the jewelry that modern African Americans wear has nothing to do with their ancestors. But what if it did? How would this change the way we see them? It would change my mind set completely, it would be a cryptic reminder of the travesties born by an innocent people.