San Leandro, CA, USA - Please spend some time with this submission from Freddie Lambright, III. His piece “Negro Currency” is loaded with powerful imagery sure to invoke a moment of silence followed by an urgent push for action.

From the Artist: The title of the series I'm submitting is the "Negro Currency" series. It is centered around the murder of Black people by the police force, and the lynching of Black people by white supremacists. The "Negro Curerncy" series questions, "What is the worth of Black life?", as the work visually catalogues the items that cost them their lives. From selling loose cigarettes, to a broken tail light, going for a run, or even wearing a hoodie, Blackness is feared and can have fatal consequences. Excessive force is often used by police, and this is shown as a disruption in the visual image. The bullet holes in the work are to show how many shots were fired that ended the victims' lives. This series is to honor the Black people who have died before their time, and to serve as a historical tool for the injustice Black people face in America. All works are illustrated with color pencil on 9"x12" black toned paper.

Bio provided by Artist: Artist Freddie Lambright, III is an interdisciplinary visual-based Black artist. Freddie was born on March 1st of 1995 in Oakland, CA. He is a trained illustrator, focusing currently on biological illustrations, working primarily in traditional dry media. Snakes, reptiles, and amphibians are frequent specimens illustrated. Freddie also creates mixed-media illustrations, public murals, graphic design work, music production, and most recently, mixing music and DJ’ing. He currently hosts his monthly radio “The Groove Allegiance” at Lower Grand Radio in Oakland, CA.

He was often around immediate family who always played classic R&B, Soul, Jazz, and Funk music. This, and Hip-Hop, later became a huge inspiration for his visual artwork. Narrative-based illustrations are derived from the synesthetic experience of watching colors, shapes, and textures associated with music dance to create a visual images. Spirituality, Afro-Futurism, and mythology deepen these narratives to make for a more surreal visual illustration.  As his participation in music production flourishes, Freddie’s visual process becomes cyclical as the music he creates drives the visual work. Freddie seeks to render narratives and the glory of the imagination through marvelous scenes spawned from music.

The COVID-19 pandemic hasn't drastically affected my visual artistic practice. The pandemic has most affected my DJing practice, as bars and clubs are closed to the public. However, I have been able to continue my monthly radio show, The Groove Allegiance, at Lower Grand Radio in Oakland, CA. I have been able to use this time at home to practice and hone my skills as a DJ. The pandemic has also been a great time for me to build on my graphic design skills. I've been creating posters for my radio show, and trying to learn new techniques for each poster. Even still, I am very excited for when the world is safe to opens up, and I can fill the dance floor with eager patrons and good music.

Find more from Freddie Lambright, III on his website and Instagram!