I started putting the Black Panther Party in my work because it runs through my blood.
Jammie Holmes
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In Fred, Jammie Holmes places childhood memories in the context of the Black liberation struggle.
Jammie’s practice centres the spaces where Black life is lived in the Deep South. Fred offers a window into such a space — a family living room with checkered floors and wood panelled walls. The TV screen is a black and white portrait of Fred Hampton — deputy chairman of the Black Panther Party who was assassinated in 1969 at the age of 21. Above the TV is a photograph from Jammie’s childhood framed with gold leaf, and the handles on its 80s style cabinet are printed in metallic ink. The whole scene is lined with gold glitter, framing the memory as precious.
A rotating sequence of flags form an imposing border around the print. Jammie incorporates (from top left): the 13 Stripes representing the 13th amendment – which abolished slavery, the tricolour Pan-African flag, the African American Flag (1990) by artist David Hammonds, and a flag of Jammie’s own creation. Collectively, they symbolise the past, present and future of Black liberation in the US.
