Issac Murphy and the Black Jockeys (1886-1905)
2019
Watercolor and spray paint on paper
24 sections: L.76” x W.311”
This work chronicles the career of Isaac Taylor and other prominent black jockeys from 1886 to 1905. Black jockeys dominated horse racing during this time, winning 15 of the first 28 Kentucky Derbies. After 1905 the black jockeys were expelled from the sport. The work investigates the intersection between sports, politics, and racism in America.