I have always liked the image of the joker and what it represents. I believe that while gang life is something that should never EVER be glorified, a lot of prison art or gang art is very beautiful and in my opinion should be considered when speaking about chicano art. I think it is almost it's own genre of chicano art, though I'm sure many would disagree with me. Having had many friends and some family members that have been to prison, prison art is something I am familiar with and have been exposed to for many years. Though some people would want to try to pretend that it doesn't exist, I think it is important instead to embrace it and study it as someone would any other art form. It is complete with stylistic rules, overarching symbolism, and many other aspects of fine art. It is a form of art that I have always appreciated and I think it is truly beautiful.
Many of my family members spent time in prison, tons of friends were involved in gangs, but my mother always tried shielding us from gang life. I'm a scaredy-cat at heart, so it's not like I needed to be shielded from something I avoided haha I don't know much about prison art, but it's dope that you paid tribute to it in your stencil work. Though the quarter is over, I would love to learn more about this from you - of course, if you're down to share with me. Your post is short and sweet, so to speak, but, damn, is it fkn deep. "The idea of the sad clown is poignant, a person who always seems to be unfazed and joking while inside they are broken or crying."
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