SCULPTURES HONOURING the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and John Lewis will be unveiled in New York next month.

The 10-feet tall wooden sculptures called Floyd, Breonna and John Lewis will stand in the city’s Union Square and are the central focus of a public art exhibition called SEEINJUSTICE.

The exhibition has been organised by Confront Art, an organisation which connects artists to social justice causes to create public art displays. It is working closely with the families of George Floyd and their charity We Are Floyd, the Breonna Taylor Foundation, and Congressman John Lewis’ charity The John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation.

All three organisations are partners in SEEINJUSTICE. The exhibition was inspired by worldwide protests in 2020 following the death of George Floyd who died after being arrested by police officers and Congressman Lewis’ demands for people everywhere to take a stand in demanding justice and racial equality. 

In April former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of second degree murder following Floyd’s death. SEEINJUSTICE also pays tribute to Breonna Taylor, 26, who was fatally shot in March 2020 by Louisville Metro Police officers as they attempted to serve a no-knock search warrant at her apartment. She was unarmed when she died in her hallway. 

Her death prompted months of protests in the city and calls for police reform.

Chris Carnabuci, the artist who created the sculptures, spoke of his hope that the exhibition would inspire greater understanding of social justice and racial equality issues. 

“As a result of the death of George Floyd, there came a global awareness and understanding of the plague of injustice across the world” he said. “The exhibit represents this global understanding, and from understanding comes action, and from action comes change.” 

Andrew Cohen, Confront Art co-founder said: “We promote collaboration, and from collaboration comes change. Working with the families that have suffered so much has been humbling and inspiring. We plan to continue to spread the message of peace and understanding through art.”

Terrence Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, welcomed the SEEINJUSTICE exhibition which will run until October 30. 

“We are inspired by the important work that Confront Art is doing to support the cause of ‘We are Floyd’” he said.   “We are looking forward to an extensive partnership with Confront Art as we bring art and creative resources to communities around the country.”