A Rose from Concrete, 2022, Oil, spray paint, concrete

A rose growing from concrete is a familiar motif to represent the many ways someone can grow out of difficult circumstances or inhospitable environments to become something great. Oftentimes we hear stories of the professional athlete, movie actor or big-time rapper who ‘made it.’ This piece reflects upon our limited notions of greatness, offering a more expansive vision of what success can look like. From his experiences living in Crenshaw, the artist witnessed many forms of success not being popularly recognized and decided to dress kids up as royalty to represent the artist’s expanded view of greatness. In the artist’s words, “we all know the rose that grew from concrete, but there are so many other beautiful flowers that bloomed on the same block that I want to show the world."