Alfred Conteh

Malik and Marquis

Malik and Marquis features twin boys whom artist Alfred Conteh met while navigating the city of Atlanta. Part of his ongoing series entitled Two Fronts, the artist records the names and faces of Black Americans living in the Deep South through this large-scale painting.

According to Conteh, his portraits serve as “reminders to everyone who looks at them . . . [of] the reality of Black folks in this country right now.”

His most recent work within this series contends with the psychological and economic hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black residents in Atlanta.

Malik and Marquis appear comfortable and candid in Conteh’s portrait, depicted in a moment of their day to day life. During this time of the pandemic, unemployment and bankruptcy was on the rise for Black communities in Atlanta. To express the uncertainty of the twins’ futures, Conteh severs their legs with blemishes of paint. Moreover, the artist’s use of urethane plastic mimics industrial erosion. This quality of surface alludes to the greater socio-economic decay and systemic neglect by lawmakers of their Atlanta community.