Enstrumental + Max Sansing (2nd Collab)

“THIS TOO SHALL PASS.”

Limited Edition Print Project Release

June 2022

“In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.”

In June 2022, I collaborated on the second of 2 projects with the supreme Chicago-based artist – Max Sansing. The best way to describe and explain the meaning/message behind this piece and project is with the message from the artist.

“Ok, so this piece is actually 2 figures I’ve painted multiple times in many iterations. “Hot Momma” (the woman) is a mother/older and sister/mentor to the youth I paint in my works. She’s meant to be a torch in the wind; a symbol of resilience under pressure. It’s often said that when people are lost in the wilderness, the first thing you should work on is starting a fire - one for heat, and two for the morale of the group in a dire situation. The first time I painted her, I had her wearing earrings with her daughter’s swinging care-free enjoying childhood, while she stood strong ensuring they could have one.

"Fire-Starter (the boy) is a symbol of the ambition of youth, and the promise of a bright future. Like with the woman, he also has flame; however, his is slowing building.

"This is the first time I’ve put both in one image. As for the title, it’s a biblical quote; however, I heard a Devin Morrison (musician) make a beat with it in the lyrics, and I heard it at a time when I was stressing. I thought about how I’m handling many things as an adult that I watched my parents deal with when I was a child, and I think to myself, how am I maintaining? Both figures have been symbols of resilience for me, and I wanted to show them in a space of reprieve. I’ve always liked the quote cause there’s a lot of people who are dead that needed to hear it.

"The Key: It’s a symbol of unlocking alternate pathways to your goals, when shit doesn’t work out how you planned. My father was a motorman for the CTA, and he had a key that he would use to go all through the city on the trains and subways. He would take me around with him all the time, and I got to see that the Red Line or the No. 6 bus wasn’t the only way to get somewhere. A lot of folks give up on a goal when it’s not met, or they see others pass them by. That’s not a reason to give up; it’s a reason to unlock other pathways.

"Lol … I’m cool with that. I got the ref from a black archive photo. She’s the little girl in the “Rapture” piece; yet, older and wiser. She gives me the vibe of a person home from church and chilling on the porch with her shoes kicked off - A small snapshot of a person at peace. I plan on building even more with this figure in future paintings; however, in purple tones. Different color, different motivations."

-MAX SANSING

ARTIST BIO: https://www.maxsansing.com/about