T itus Kaphar is a master of painting’s most essential elements, subverting traditional notions of subject and support to address the legacies of oppression embedded within Eurocentric artistic tradition. Renowned for canvases that are variously deconstructed and appended, Kaphar casts a critical eye to the polished surface of art history, revealing the inequalities that undergird Western culture’s most celebrated aesthetic gestures. While Kaphar’s practice often engages our received histories, the artist is no stranger to the present day, addressing the realities of structural racism and oppression in the context of mass incarceration, police killings and the global struggle for human rights. Hailing from the artist’s groundbreaking Distinctive Resonance series, The Wing that Breaks from Her Wounds is a visually striking paragon of Kaphar’s practice, incorporating peacock feathers to address notions of censorship, dissent, and political struggle in the context of the controversial activist and political figure Aung San Suu Kyi. A history painter for the contemporary age, Kaphar brings together disparate belief systems, personal narratives and a deft painterly touch to pull back the veneer overlaying society’s ills, reveling in the beauty found underneath.