James “Yaya” Hough, “Untitled” (2015)

In partnership with the African American Museum in Philadelphia, Mural Arts Philadelphia brings you Rendering Justice, which opened online on October 28. The exhibition, curated by artist Jesse Krimes, is an expansive examination of mass incarceration and an unflinching depiction of the contemporary United States.

The artworks are part of Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Reimagining Reentry program, which supports formerly incarcerated artists in the creation of public art projects. Works included feature varied responses to the displacement of bodies and revocation of autonomy entailed in incarceration. They affirm how artists maintain a sense of identity, regain their agency, and grapple with coercive forces until — and after — they reenter society. The exhibition’s artists include Russell Craig, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Titus Kaphar, Michelle Daniel (Jones), Deborah Willis, PhD, Mary Elizabeth Enoch Baxter, James “Yaya” Hough, Jared Owens, and Michael “OG Law” TaBon.

Rendering Justice features a cohort of nine artists from across the country whose work highlights a broad range of issues bound in mass incarceration, with a particular focus on Philadelphia. While the number of people jailed and imprisoned by Philadelphia’s criminal justice system has declined dramatically in recent years, the city remains one of the most heavily incarcerated in the nation. Rendering Justice is created in partnership with the African American Museum in Philadelphia and is made possible with a grant from the Art for Justice Fund. 

Learn more about the exhibition at aampmuseum.org.

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