Available for purchase. For more information contact Luz Correa at luzamparo@alfa-gallery.com
In a poignant critique of America’s relationship with firearms and the pervasive gun violence culture, artist Keith Francis repurposes a 1920s U.S. gumball dispenser, filling it with 22, 9mm, and .45 caliber bullets. Painted in patriotic red, white, and blue with stars, and topped with an antique brass eagle, the piece highlights the unsettling normalization of gun culture while evoking national pride.
The context of this work is amplified by alarming statistics: the U.S. gun death rate was 10.6 per 100,000 people in 2016, significantly higher than countries like Canada (2.1) and Australia (1.0). Despite various barriers to gun purchase, loopholes in the legal framework allow for widespread access, reflected in the 2007 statistic of approximately 88.8 guns per 100 people.
By filling the dispenser with bullets, Francis juxtaposes the innocence associated with gumball machines against the serious issue of gun violence, presenting bullets as readily accessible commodities. The sticker proclaiming "25¢ Proudly Made in the USA" underscores the troubling commercialization of firearms and evokes a sense of complicity and shame within American identity.
This artwork challenges viewers to reflect on the moral implications of gun ownership and the political landscape surrounding gun rights and regulations. Francis’s piece invites critical discourse about the destructive cycle enabled by a proud yet conflicted national identity, urging accountability and change to address the escalating issues of gun violence in the United States.
