Portrait of a Father | Oil, Great Salt Lake Sand, Concrete | 48"x40" | Wire Hung Wood Frame

Alternate reality artwork card: 

Exhibited in We Live In Light Solo Exhibition, Gittins Gallery, 2026

Concrete Portrait: Paternal Figure 
(Undocumented Father)
Deseret Codex Collection (attributed)
c. early–mid 21st century
Artist unknown
9.144e+8 x 6.096e+8 μm
This concrete painting presents a fragmented 
portrait of an undocumented immigrant father, embed
ded within a layered field of geometric and symbolic 
forms. The central facial depiction emerges partially 
obscured, suggesting both presence and concealment. 
Surrounding the figure are repeated sigil-like markings, 
identified by researchers as paternal symbols associated 
with lineage, protection, and generational continuity.
The surface bears distinct circular striations and 
growth-ring patterns formed through the material behavior of concrete, a visual language linked to construction 
labor and the passage of time. These patterns have been 
interpreted as encoding cycles of endurance, labor, and 
inherited responsibility.
Recovered within a context of domestic conceal
ment, the work is understood as both portrait and portrait
tive marker. It reflects the dual role of the father as 
provider and guardian, situating identity within material, 
symbolic, and environmental conditions shaped by 
displacement and care