Donald “C-Note” Hooker’s Eyes Without a Face is a haunting prequel to his Paintoem Life Without the Possibility of Parole.
EYES WITHOUT A FACE
Why
condemn Her
To life without the possibility of parole
Why
condemn She
When societal forces may have played a role
Why
condemn Them
The 175 women
serving life without the possibility of parole
About the Paintoem
Poem by: C-Note
Painting by: C-Note; JoJo Whilden–Netflix
Explaining his process, C-Note reveals:
Apparently I had already written a poem for that Paintoem that I wasn’t aware of … I felt this poem published by itself is bland. So I had to come up with an image.
C-Note manipulated a Los Angeles Times headline photo of photographer JoJo Whilden’s Netflix photograph for Orange is the New Black; he used a white color pastel to remove their faces, as a metaphor in exposing the plight of this nameless and faceless incarcerated population. The remaining eyes conjured up the popular 1984, Billy Idol song, Eyes Without a Face, so he used it as the Paintoem’s title, as a symbol of the 175+ women serving Life Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP) at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF).
The original was donated to MinisterKingXPyeface for the 2019, Artivist In Action & Solidarity exhibition and fundraiser for two highly prominent newspapers that published prison issues, San Francisco Bay View and California Prison Focus.
Support art that makes a difference
Eyes Without a Face challenges perceptions and confronts injustice. Your purchase of an art print directly contributes to raising awareness about women serving life without parole – click on the image below 👇
