R.B.G. 5

• RBG5
• Suave Gonzalez 
  
• Mixed Media Collage
• Size: 48” x36”

When an inmate gets sick in prison, they are typically charged $5 for a doctor’s visit, however due to the fact inmates make between 10 and 50 cents per hour for work, many sick inmates decline care because they cannot afford to pay the $5 doctor’s fee.  As a result, many prisoners don’t report their illness to the institutional medical department, and instead try to treat themselves with a tylenol. The end result is often fatal. The individual prisoners featured here in this painting were all friends of Suave’s, and each received a life sentence. Tragically, every man depicted here died while in prison because they did not have the $5 to cover the service charges to see a doctor. “No matter where you are – no one should be denied medical treatment for the lack of $5.” 

RBG is a hero of the Suave’s. An RBG phrase that Suave loves to quote to friends and family is the following:  “Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”  Suave chose RBG as the framework of this artwork because to him she is one of America’s greatest symbols of justice - therefore the pairing of the prisoners within the mind of RBG is a profound symbolic juxtapositioning. The artist invites you to answer why!