Created by
Rucker, Rashaun, American, born 1978
Date
2020
Medium
graphite and paint on paper
Dimensions
H x W x D (frame): 32 1/8 × 26 × 2 3/8 in. (81.6 × 66 × 6 cm)
H x W (work): 23 3/4 × 18 in. (60.3 × 45.7 cm)
Caption
Rashaun Rucker is best known for his work dealing with Black male identity and social conditioning. In his Psychological Redlining series, he merges portraits of African American men with images of rock pigeons. Rock pigeons are generally viewed as urban, unclean nuisances. Rucker asserts that people perceive Black men much the same way—essentially pigeonholing them psychologically into a space where they don’t belong. The red cages framing each portrait relates to redlining, a systemic real estate policy demarcating communities of color by red lines on a map to limit access to home loans, insurance, and even grocery stores. Rucker says he created these images to “communicate why we as Black men often don’t fly, even though we have the ability to go far and beyond our circumstance.”
Description
This is a mixed media portrait of a man with a pigeon emerging from the top of his head, framed within a red frame in the shape of a birdcage. The graphite portrait shows the man from the neck up. He has a mustache and goatee. He faces front, his gaze slightly to the right of the viewer. The pigeon emerging from the crown of his head is shown from its neck upward. It sits slightly to the left side of the man’s head. The bird is depicted face forward, beak angled downward, eyes gazing directly at the viewer. The portrait is enclosed in a frame of red paint in the shape of a birdcage. The two sides consist of narrow red lines while the bottom is a thick red line. The top of the “cage” has a domed top consisting of narrow red lines that meet at the top of the dome. Mounted on the top is a small red hook. The artist's signature "Ruck" appears along the man's neck.
Place made
Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, United States, North and Central America
Portfolio/Series
Psychological Redlining (13 Studies)
Classification
Visual Arts
Type
multimedia works
portraits
Topic
Art
Identity
Men
Mental health
Race discrimination
Stereotypes
Urban life
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Partial gift of Arthur Primas and Jumaane E. N’Namdi and museum purchase.
Object number
2023.107.5
Restrictions & Rights
© Rashaun Rucker
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd51842cda8-d019-406b-9bc7-0f498e4e0b6f

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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