From the Back of the Bus | Jasper Duberry

Jasper Duberry uses woodcuts to explore themes that encompass the Black experience – pain, joy, excellence, healing, and resistance to name a few. STILL addresses the overshadowing of Black excellence.  The image depicts a black male with wealth who also has a contradicting white collar around his neck symbolizing enslavement.   

Moving to Rally, this piece highlights the many victorious moments in Black history while also honoring those that have sacrificed and fought for equality.  In that similar light, Chairman acknowledges the work of the late Chairman Fred Hampton, a civil rights activist who led the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party up to his assassination in December of 1969.

            In Just Us Duberry further explored the themes of resistance and breaking down barriers by bringing attention to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – an act that prohibits racial discrimination in voting, giving Black Americans the right to vote.  Scrambled letters on the ballots are a nod to the prior literacy tests that were in place as tactics to keep Blacks from voting.

            With Mortal Man – Part 1 and Mortal Man – Part 2, the transformation of the caterpillar symbolizes the journey and healing of trauma from the environment in which it came. The wings represent the internal strength that help the caterpillar overcome hardships.  Inspired by a metaphor by Kendrick Lamar, it ends with, “although the butterfly and caterpillar are completely different, they are one and the same.”

Jasper Duberry is a printmaker that lives in St. Michael, Minnesota. Jasper practiced and received his BFA from Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Gallery Hours:
Monday-Friday 9 AM - 5 PM
Saturday 12 PM - 4 PM

Image: (detail) Just Us, woodcut, 2024