Love Over Rules Enamel Pin

PRODUCT DETAILS Material100% MetalDimensions1" Referential Artwork Photograph by Mariah Tiffany, Courtesy of Sites Unseen HANK WILLIS THOMASLOVE OVER RULES, 2017, neon, 6’ x 6’Permanent public installationYerba Buena: 165 Jessie StreetDesign first presented here:Sites Unseen, Yerba Buena, 2017Artist Statement The piece is an homage to the artist's cousin, Songha Willis, who was murdered in Philadelphia in 2000. The words represent the last message Willis left his cousin before his death. "A month after he died, I found a recording of the incident, and his last words were 'love over rules.' When I received the opportunity to create a public art installation, I thought about him and how his last words could inspire people everyday, reminding them to be generous…Love is a verb of action. Its meaning goes beyond the romantic idea of it. Love is an invitation to people to stand up and be generous every day of their lives. It is not an action of receiving, but rather an action of givin