Corey Pickett "Untitled - Revolver and Ray Gun"

Taking the Duchampian ready-made as a point of departure, I create objects of sophisticated whimsy with a serious political undertone, altering color, texture, form, and scale. My practice has evolved from celebrating the merits of African-Americans through cardboard paintings to oversized padlocks spotlighting the black body during the slave trade. What I learned by putting my practice in dialog with the African-American experience of the past has had an affect on what I am making in a studio full of sculptures in dialog with gun violence. My gun sculptures are an appeal for “Common-sense” gun laws and the re-evaluation of firearm legislation. Initially these objects were in response to gun violence towards African-Americans; however, my work has expanded to violence against all humans. My goal is for my practice to be a medium of activism through interdisciplinary methods and community collaboration.