DETROIT COMMUNITY GOLF COURSE (2011)
This series was created for a group show featuring artists from Detroit. It was inspired by two ideas: the wave of gentrification reshaping cities like Detroit, Brooklyn, and Atlanta, and the rise of “ruin porn” photography glorifying decay. I wanted to address how outsiders often depict Detroit’s “vibe” without any real connection to it. The images show a model golfing—a game tied to white, upper-class leisure—while wearing “white face” makeup, a satirical inversion of vaudevillian blackface. The juxtaposition of an African man in “white face” playing golf amid Detroit’s burnt-out east side reflects my critique of how people overlook the city’s vitality in favor of its decay and potential profit.
