Portraits of Freedom

In Vik Muniz’s latest work, “Portraits of Freedom,” the dignity and resilience of four exonerees who endured decades of wrongful conviction are communicated in the most unexpected but remarkable way: through thousands of carefully arranged date scraps.

A believer in the transformative nature of art, Mr. Muniz uses unconventional materials, such as chocolate, sugar, and junk, to create powerful works often representing people on the margins of society. More than a decade ago, for example, he set out to photograph the catadores, or garbage pickers, who worked in the neighborhood of Jardim Gramacho, the site of one of the world’s largest open-air landfills located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. The work evolved into a collaboration that produced striking portraits made from trash and recycled materials. 

“As my career, my work, evolved, I realized that, also, I could effect change in the things I was trying to represent,” Mr. Muniz said of his work.

After meeting with a group of Innocence Project clients in our Tribeca office, the critically acclaimed artist was inspired to create a series of portraits that honor their dignity, grace, and resilience.

What emerged is a beautiful set of works meticulously created using thousands of dates ripped from papers, calendars, and magazines, representing both the days lost to wrongful incarceration and the milestones in their fight for freedom. 

“Every single date, every single hour, minute, you know, the story is a lot more dense and something that cannot be told. Sometimes, when you make a picture that is infused with this kind of complexity, it is a way of saying that there is so much more to just a likeness of someone,” Mr. Muniz said.

Thanks to the artist’s generosity, the proceeds of these works will support the Innocence Project’s ongoing work to free the innocent, transform systems that allow injustice to happen, and build a powerful movement for change. 

The limited-edition, numbered works come in two sizes: 60” x 48” and 25 ¼” x 20”.

For more information about the works, please contact portraits@innocenceproject.org.