Racism Doesn’t Rest During a Pandemic Pee Chee (No Justice No Peace)
PATRICK MARTINEZ’S RACISM DOESN’T REST DURING A PANDEMIC PEE CHEE (NO JUSTICE NO PEACE) (2020) is the latest work in a series that documents instances of violence in America, often of police brutality and death at the hands of officers. Using paintings and prints that mimic grade-school children’s Pee-Chee folders, Martinez illustrates graphic images of tragedy, protesting, and riots, alongside portraits of recent victims of police brutality: George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. According to Martinez, his work is a way of time-stamping events of police violence and remembering the victims of it – telling their story and paying homage to their memory. As Racism Doesn’t Rest became more popular, Martinez began distributing prints to high school and college students to educate the younger generations on the realities of being Black in America.
The proceeds from the sale of this folder were donated to the Youth Justice League and Collective Fare, NY, which provides meals to workers displaced because of Covid-19.