Baker Artist Portfolios

I draw in public and record my interactions. More often than not, my look (gaze or physical presence) initiates conversation. This all probably started when I was an idle bystander taking short drags of cigarettes on street corners. Now it's an investigatory drawing performance, which is equal parts field research, artistry, critical thinking and observation. The final iteration usually takes the form of interactive sculpture. In almost every instance that I create, I am ironically critiquing the real world experience that commanded the creation, concept to finish, especially when relating to my interactions with police bodies. In my personal practice – meaning to say, the process work, the exhibits, and publication – I dismantle these happenstance encounters into themes of (mis)trust, sous/sur-veillance, and the activation of shared public spaces. I cultivate ulterior artistic motives with the strikeWare collective. 'another view of Clayborn Temple' along with others in this portfolio reflect designs and creations led by myself. All pieces in our oeuvre (in the strikeWare Baker Portfolio) exemplify our overlapping collaborative efforts.