The Heart of War is a series of mixed-media artworks that excavates the buried memory of the Harlem Hellfighters, guided by the war memoirs and reportage paintings of Corporal Horace Pippin. This legendary African American regiment entered World War I with a profound sense of purpose: to fight not only against tyranny abroad but also for the promise of equality and justice denied to them at home.

On the frontlines of Europe’s trenches, the Harlem Hellfighters served longer in combat than any other U.S. unit, embodying extraordinary courage and resolve. Their intent was not simply to prove their worth as soldiers but to assert a vision of egalitarian societies on the world stage—where freedom and dignity could belong to all. Yet their story was deliberately suppressed in the United States, silenced to prevent recognition of African American potential and to preserve the racist order of segregation.

The Heart of War seeks to restore this legacy to view, giving form to the Hellfighters’ struggle, their sacrifice, and their enduring dream of a more equitable world.