About Artwork

Peter Williams creates visually seductive paintings that intertwine art historical references and allegory with current events and personal life experiences. Williams actively confronts a multitude of subjects within his paintings, including oppressive social structures like white supremacy and discrimination. In Resistance, Williams masterfully employs pointillist painting techniques, which references folk art, aboriginal dot painting and traditional African body scarification, calling out the violence and inequity that continues to be perpetrated against African Americans. The subject in Resistance crouches on one knee, assuming the iconic stance of protest against police brutality and racial injustice that NFL football players and other professional athletes have become known for. The image is punctuated by the bold text, “RESIST”. This adroit combination of the bold and subversive encapsulates Williams’ signature style of interweaving a variety of artistic approaches to address contemporary issues.   

The print is based on a painting produced by Williams in 2018 and exhibited that year in the solo exhibition River of Styx at Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, Los Angeles. Proceeds for the sales of this edition support Peter Williams’ solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit in spring 2020.