African-American artist, Dave McClinton’s large-scale digital collages are riddled with varying textures that represent different aspects of the fictional individual. McClinton revisions the subjects of his photographs, imagining what they may look like in an alternate reality. McClinton’s drive to create these compelling images is to continue the sparked conversation about the African American society in contemporary times, whilst simultaneously acknowledging the grim history of this community. These powerful works attract a deeper conversation among viewers and help "visually define the history of African American culture". “Currently, there is a newly intensified wave of empathetic consciousness in all forms of artistic output...I want to illustrate the life-cycle of the inner life of a black person. From innocent to informed. From reckless defiant to determined. How the weight of American history can either crush you or harden. And, how either result often has to be hidden from view just to get through the day. The anger of the African American community is always portrayed as a threat. The anger of “traditional” communities is depicted as righteous. This paradigm feeds stress and despair back into black lives and thus strokes the fires we try to simultaneously hide and harness. ” - Dave McClinton A Texas native, Dave McClinton’s thought-provoking works have been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Arts, Brooklyn, New York; Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, Lubbock, Texas; McKinney Performing Arts Center, McKinney, Texas; Dougherty Arts Center, Austin, TX as well as other various institutions throughout Texas and Wisconsin.