In Their Hands

Artist: Robertson-Salt, Ian b.1989

Date: 2023

Medium: Acrylic paint on wood panel

Artwork Dimensions: 60 x 48 in.

County Department: Public Defender

Artwork Site: Hall of Records - Office of the Public Defender

Supervisorial District: 1

Current Status: On view

About the Artwork: <em>In Their Hands</em> by artist Ian Robertson-Salt is a thought-provoking representation of a single defendant's journey through the criminal justice system. The anonymous female figure depicted in the artwork highlights the disproportionate number of Black and Latina women who are involved in Los Angeles County's criminal justice system. The hands surrounding the subject offer a sense of comfort and empathy, while also conveying the emotional struggles that individuals can encounter on both sides of the County's justice system. The artwork has a polychromatic color scheme. A symbolic design laid on top of the image is based on the locations of the courts and the Public Defender's offices throughout the County of Los Angeles.

About the Artist: Ian Robertson-Salt (b. Los Angeles, CA, 1989) is a painter, muralist, and tattooist from Los Angeles. He has worked as a muralist and mural conservator for the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles, The City of Long Beach, The Social Public Art Resource Center, and Arts Bridging the Gap. In addition to his private and civic mural commissions, he has exhibited work in numerous group exhibitions throughout California. His work often focuses on endangered species and the relationships between humanity, technology, and ecology.