I left three days ago

I left three days ago

Mural painting and decoration, American--Michigan--Detroit--21st Century.
Black Lives Matter Movement--Michigan--Detroit.
Police brutality--United States--21st Century.

This mural consists of solid colorful geometric forms and letters layered on a solid black ground. The shapes appear to advance and emerge from the background due to their vibrant colors. The central, recognizable forms in the mural are three abstracted busts of black individuals numbered at their bases 1 through 3. The central bust appears to wear a silver medal around its neck. The two busts flanking the central bust have a single tear falling from one eye. At the bottom right a brown geometric body is splayed. Its right arm is raised and its left arm down next to its side. Its eyes are depicted as large Xs on its otherwise featureless face. The letters BLM are painted between its torso and its left arm. Its legs are bent slightly with both feet turned outwards. Across the composition are geometric forms consisting of trapezoids, triangles, circles, hearts and 7-shapes. These are decorated with hearts, Xs and other smaller shapes. Several words appear in the mural: HEY, WOW (MOM upside down?), and BLM. The artist’s signature is seen in the upper right corner “NINA CHANEL”.

Chanel Nina Abney

Created: 2016
Photographed: 2024-10-26

Always a Winner [series]

paint on metal

Still Image

DMM-2024-00014

This mural, painted by muralist Nina Chanel Abney, depicts the experiences of black individuals in the face of violence and police brutality in the United States of America. The three figures in the middle, represent black people as having vibrance and life, but at the hands of police brutality, the figures see their future and the subject on the right, killed at the hands of the police. This artwork, like others in Nina Chanel Abney's ‘Always a Winner’ series sheds a light on police brutality, and the importance of the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM).

Chanel, N. (2016). The Belt. https://www.thebelt.org/nina-chanel-abney

I Left Three Days Ago. (2016). Nina Chanel Abney. https://ninachanel.com/viewing-room/5-i-left-three-days-ago-the-belt-detroit-michigan/

McVey, K. (n.d.). How Nina Chanel Abney is Championing the Black Lives Matter Movement with a Paintbrush. Vanity Fair. https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/10/nina-chanel-abney-painter-always-a-winner-interview

NINA CHANEL ABNEY on Instagram: “#day3 #studiotime @librarystreetcollective.” (2016). Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BKqbou1Dk_u/?hl=en

SEEN Contributor. (2018, August 16). Invigorating Detroit’s Public Art Renaissance. SeenTheMagazine.com. https://www.seenthemagazine.com/culture/arts_entertainment/invigorating-detroit-s-public-art-renaissance/article_c217e977-1d0a-50e1-b347-9719afbd4cde.html

The Bholdr. (2024, October 24). Nina Chanel Abney - Always A Winner. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/143994438

Address: The Belt, Detroit, MI, 48226 (SW facade under garage cross-over)
Coordinates: 42.33464182096051, -83.04671764864504