During my research on the subjects of slavery and racism, I came across the story of Peter Gordon and a photo of his back, taken in 1863 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Scarred from whippings, Peter Gordon’s back stands in an iconic way for the unimaginable suffering of millions of children, women and men who were abducted from their homes and cruelly enslaved by European slave traders over the past 400 years.

The consequences of this crime are massive and still visible today. In my sculpture I depict the polarity of man, the good and the bestial evil, manifested in the scars on his back.

It was very important to me to portray the body in a powerful and dignified manner, as if the torture inflicted on it had done no harm.

As long as slavery, racism and institutional violence are part of our world, this fact must be fought resolutely.

My sculpture is a peaceful protest for Black Lives Matter and a better world.

Eberhard Schwarzenbach