Comics by Arkee Chaney and artists at Stateville Prison
Jan 27 – May 31. 2024
Political cartoons and comics have long been a feature of art and art history. Early political cartoons can be found in the work of French artist Honoré Daumier (1808-1879) whose work made fun of France’s wealthy class and mocked the justice system. He often criticized King Louis-Philippe which got him a six months prison sentence. A century later American comic artist Jackie Ormes (1911-1985)— the first major Black woman comic artist in the U.S. and designer of a first respectful Black toy doll — offered frank commentary on issues of labor, race, gender, politics and more. Her leftist politics attracted the attention of the FBI from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s.
Contemporary comic artists have used the art form to bring attention to everything from unjust laws, gender politics, corrupt politicians and, of course, the prison industrial complex. The work in It Ain’t That Funny visualizes the impacts of these incarceration, made by people directly impacted by incarceration. Artists focus on the way policing unequally impacts Black and Brown neighborhoods; how families and communities bear the costs of incarceration; and they frame the repetition of violence that incarceration creates. Through the medium of the comic strip, these artists work in the radical tradition of comic art to interrogate the most critical issues of our time.
It Ain’t That Funny largely features the work of Arkee Chaney who spent 31 years behind bars. Dr. Burroughs—founder of the DuSable Museum—taught in state prisons for decades and helped cultivate Chaney’s practice. His comics were often featured in “Stateville Speaks”—a prison newsletter that is produced for and by people incarcerated in IL. In addition, a display of comics created by artists taught by Damon Locks at Stateville prison was also on display. Like Chaney, these artists are keen critics of the justice system and use life experiences as the basis of their work, but unlike Chaney, these artists are all still locked up. In both cases the use story and image speak frankly about the conditions of punishment and incarceration, which are often obfuscated from the public.
Curated: by Sarah Ross
Exhibiting Artists:, Arkee Chaney, Carlos Ayala, Robert Curry, Antwan Tyler, Devon Terrell, Juan Luna
