Ink Tributes by Marlon West Exhibition Design (Museum of Social Justice Los Angeles)
Ink Tributes is an exhibition at the Museum of Social Justice in Los Angeles, showcasing the powerful black-and-white portraitures by Marlon West. Through stark, ink-on-paper illustrations, West honors those whose lives were tragically cut short by systemic racism, racial violence, and police brutality.
West’s portraits—heroes of the Black community—serve as a powerful tribute to those who faced racial injustice. As West stated, “There isn’t a more American form of portraiture than black ‘inks’ over white, to honor those that faced this nation’s fear and loathing of the Black body.”
Our design team worked closely with the exhibition concept, utilizing a "design thinking" approach to transform the gallery space. The challenge was to create an immersive environment that heightened the impact of the work, amplifying the themes of racial injustice, police violence, and the historical struggle for equality. The design drew inspiration from the stark, bold style of comic book art to reflect the rawness and urgency of the subject matter. The exhibition space was carefully curated with large-scale graphics, text, and illustrations, evoking the tribute and urgency at the heart of West’s illustrations.
The exhibition space was designed to guide visitors through an emotional journey, with each figure represented in a comic-book style. Marlon West’s initial artistic inspiration came during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he created photo tableaus as a creative outlet between Zoom meetings and housework. However, everything changed for West when the news broke about the murder of George Floyd. In response, he began creating these powerful portraits—one of which became a tribute to the Black heroes and victims featured in the exhibition.
The exhibition honors individuals whose lives were tragically impacted by police and racial violence, including:
Emmitt Till, Ahmaud Abrery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Caron Nazario, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Eugene Goodman, Andrew Goodman. Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, Philando Castile, Omar Jimenez, Amadou Diallo, Eric Garner, Cornelius Frederick, John Crawford III, Andrew Brown Jr, Michael Brown Jr, Elijah McClain, Botham Jean, Nina Pop, Vanessa Guillen, Sean Bell, Atatiana Jefferson, Raychard Brooks, Sandra Bland
