Dennis Adusei  

 

 Peace is more precious than diamonds or gold 

My work on Martin Luther King Jr is a reflection on my life and Africa. Combining my specialist subjects of Graphic Design and Illustration I have created a comic book cover and series of posters featuring archive images of Martin Luther King Jr as a hero of black Americans and Africa.  I have incorporated quotations from his well-known speeches on freedom and justice, civil rights and peace.  

As a young black man, it is important to understand that the fight for freedom, justice and equality is ongoing as evidenced by recent events. The context of my work is based on historical and political events and the different meanings behind Dr King’s life.  When I started this project, it made me realise that there are a lot of moments in Dr King’s life that we need to explore and tell people about and what he stood for as a civil rights leader during the 1960s. 

I chose Dr King as a topic to highlight what he did, not just for black people but for everyone. I have aimed to show what we can accomplish together as one, to stop discrimination due to the colour of skin. We also see how what happened in Dr King’s time, is relevant today with Black Lives Matter (BLM), how people are willing to fight for what they believe in. Dr King may no longer be with us, but his fight is ongoing. 

My key influences include the work of Gui Borchert and Allen McKinney who create powerful images incorporating words spoken by prominent figures such as Barack Obama (2008).  I selected a range of bold typefaces and colours for the poster to convey the historical and temporal context of the work, also drawing from the work of Sean Williams. 

Inspired by the Marvel Comic Book character, Captain America (1947) I also created the cover of a comic book in A3 portrait format, designed to reflect the super-hero of my research project, Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Using Procreate I made a digital drawing using iconic imagery of him addressing the nation.