Bars and Gates: COPY+PASTE+DELETE
By Antonio Burton
Antonio Burton’s Bars & Gates: COPY+PASTE+DELETE works to spark dialogue about the impacts of mass incarceration on residents of Decatur, Illinois. In three layers — a six-song EP, a collection of original paintings, and a documentary — Burton examines the question: “Could you see a world without prisons?” Bars & Gates takes up this question through a variety of media, interrogating the impacts of incarceration on those who are incarcerated and those left behind — particularly children.
Activated
Layer One: Bars & Gates EP (2021)
Listen to this original EP created by Antonio (aka Toni Picasso), which explores themes around mass incarceration in his hometown of Decatur, IL.
Layer Two: Artwork
View Antonio’s paintings, which depict people who have been impacted by the incarceration of a loved one.
Layer Three: Bars & Gates Documentary
Antonio speaks in greater depth about the Bars & Gates project and his goals for the work in this 13-minute documentary.
Antonio Burton
rawartists.com/albartworkAntonio L. Burton, also known as “Toni Picasso,” is a native of Decatur, Illinois. His faith in Jesus Christ has fueled his fluent gift in all arts, mediums, and skills. In 2012, Antonio earned a bachelor’s in 2-D Design with an emphasis in painting from Eastern Illinois University. Since then he has hit the ground running, laying a foundation in his field of study as a freelance artist in both Illinois and Missouri. Antonio’s hope is to paint into the heart of others a new color of life that will not only inspire…
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