Sherrill Roland
"artfor(us)"
April 20 to May 12 | artspace
Photo by Beth Mann
Exhibition statement: "artfor(us)" is a series of artworks created by artist Sherrill Roland that grew out of his personal history of being wrongfully incarcerated in Washington, D.C. During his incarceration, Roland attempted to remain connected to art and the life that was taken from him. One of the things that helped was Artforum magazine, which a close family friend helped him acquire.
After his release, Roland found that his relationship with art had changed. He created the Jumpsuit Project in which he wears an orange jumpsuit to help people address their prejudices towards those incarcerated. In “artfor(us),” Roland deconstructs those Artforum magazines and uses only the materials he had access to while incarcerated to express his transformative relationship with art and the people closest to him. “artfor(us)” speaks to the next phase of Roland’s life using his experience to help others. #jumpsuitartforus