Mixed Media Collage No. 24

In His Custody, In His Care: The Trial of Derek Chauvin | 2021 | Mixed media; cut paper, oil, printmaking ink, acrylic, and oil-based paint pen on BFK RIVES 100% cotton paper | 22.5 x 30 inches

April 7, 2021 | On Day 3 of the State of Minnesota v. Derek Chauvin, EMS paramedics testified that George Floyd was dead on arrival. This was the first time the public heard — in certain terms — that George Floyd died at the crime scene. We also learned during the trial that Chauvin was on top of Floyd for 9:29, and Floyd was unconscious for more than half that time. Police have a motto: In our custody, in our care. Instead, it was a modern-day lynching by police. The world is watching.

Credits: Images used were captured from the public broadcast of the trial. Including the significant video footage captured by (then) 17-year-old Darnella Frazier, as well as footage captured by Minneapolis firefighter Genevieve Hansen, and police officer body cameras.

Image of Cup Foods in South Minneapolis, Evan Frost | MPR News, shown during the trial of Derek Chauvin.

Flag design was modeled after the 1936 photograph showing a flag flown from an upper-story window of the NAACP headquarters on 69 Fifth Avenue, New York City, announcing that "a man was lynched yesterday."

Original artwork © Erika Brask, 2021. All rights reserved. No part of this artwork may be reproduced or used in any form or through any means — graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, downloading, information storage, and retrieval systems — without written permission from the artist.