“THE PEOPLE’S FEAST”
BOURNE SINNERS, VOL. 5
- This painting has been pre-appraised and is currently for sale.
Date of creation: 05/2025 - 05/2026
Size: 30 x 30” original
Medium/Materials: Oil | Level III Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Matte Varnish
The Series:
Inspired by Ryan Coogler’s Sinners film, this collection explores the places our sins can take us. Each painting is an interpretive piece from still shots of the movie trailers. An ode to the blues of black culture, Vi strives to transmute generational trauma through healing expression in art.
The scenes selected for adaptations are specific to Vi’s experience growing up blasian in a Southern household. From confronting addictions to reflecting on Baptist contradictions, these paintings are an exploration of our shortcomings and a look into the transformation that comes with liberation.
The Elements:
Nottoway Plantation - The Nottoway Plantation, roughly 25 miles from Baton Rouge, was billed as the largest antebellum home still standing in the American South. On May 15, 2025, it caught fire and burned down in a furious glory. I chose this as my backdrop to commemorate the reckoning that is currently consuming the US. A reckoning is here. It sounds like revolution. It feels like reparations. And smells like southern cooking.
Yoruba Mythology - Capturing the essence of Michael B. Jordan’s alter ego “Stack”, the Yoruba twin deity is revered as a divine entity representing balance, happiness, and spiritual strength. Stack’s role seemed to provide the lively balance to Smoke’s buttoned up demeanor. I thought it very necessary to use an image of him smiling layered on a background of chaos.
Barbacoa (BBQ) - Barbacoa is the direct translation of the English word “barbecue” (BBQ) from the Taino word. An ancient method of arranging sticks together to make a fire which is used to slow cook meat, BBQ’s have been culturally adopted by many descendants of Caribbean culture to include African Americans. Stack’s toothpick alludes to the analogy of eating what you kill and becomes the tone of the portrait as well as the inspiration for the title.
