The Brecht Forum will host an opening reception for “CHASES ME 1968” a new installation by Savannah, GA based artist Pleasant.

“CHASES ME 1968” is inspired by the Memphis sanitation strike of 1968, that captivated the nation. There thousands of black men, demanded equality and justice at the workplace, signified by holding wearing simple placards that read “I AM A MAN.”

Dr. Martin Luther King came to Memphis to show his support for the striking workers. It was there, that King lost his life and America lost one of its most cherished heroes.

PLEASANT’s installation serves as a meditation of that moment and also the continued struggle that African Americans continue to face. According to Pleasant “the city of Savannah, Georgia was inspiration for the art installation Chases Me. It speaks to legacies of inequality such as gentrification, racial profiling, poverty, disparate incarceration, disease and sub-standard education that continue at rates high or higher than those of the sixties. No part of the country is immune.”

Pleasant art has international appeal and has been exhibited and sold in New York City, London, Paris, Sweden, Holland and various other locations worldwide.

Pleasant has given various art workshops and art lectures. His audience ranges from collegiate academics to young children. Though originally trained as a figurative artist, Pleasant’s firm grasp on structure and anatomy are reflected in his current work, which borderlines on a figurative conceptual type of expressionism. His art has evolved over the years into an unusual blend of various styles and mediums. Pleasant is currently represented in the Netherlands and Sweden.