The Branded Hand of Jonathan Walker (2021) and other works

Overview

Roméo Mivekannin’s reinterpretations of classical European art challenge western canonical representations of Blackness. The artist presents a series of canvases bridging unusual painting techniques and archival photographic images. Through these self-portraits, he stages a critical intervention that disrupts the mechanics of the colonial gaze, asserting agency via self- representation and interfacing with his own family history of dispossession. The Branded Hand of Jonathan Walker (2021) recreates a photo of the hand of the namesake American reformer, whose right palm was branded with the letters ‘S S’—standing for Slave Stealer—after aiding several captives to escape.