Explore the Constellation
Kevin Cole’s Increase Risk with Emotional Faith
Art
2008
Cole’s sculpture addresses the history of lynching.
Kevin Cole (b. 1960) is an Arkansas-born, Georgia-based mixed-media artist and educator. Cole uses bold colors and patterns inspired by African textiles to create abstract forms that address the African American experience.
When Cole was 18 years old, his grandfather told him stories of Black men who were lynched on their way to vote, their neckties wrapped around the noose. These stories left a lifelong impact on Cole and his work. Drawing on these memories, Cole used debris recovered after Hurricane Katrina to create Increase Risk with Emotional Faith. The rough texture of the debris reminded Cole of hardship and survival, while the neckties refer both to lynching and to the everyday lives of Black men.
