Tupac and the Promethean Flame

THE GIFT // THE SENTENCE

Tupac Shakur was more than an artist. He was a fire-bearer. His words, his defiance, his vision illuminated what many wanted to keep in darkness. Like Prometheus stealing flame from the gods, Tupac gave light to a generation — truth, anger, beauty, revolution.

And like Prometheus, he paid for the gift.

Surveillance. Prison. Trials. Assassination.

In this altar, Tupac is transfigured into myth: a prophet punished for daring to share what the powerful wanted to hoard. The image is not simply memorial — it is indictment. An indictment of the machine that devours its prophets while selling their image as spectacle.

What I learned creating this piece: the price of prophecy is being burned by the very fire you light. Giving truth to the world is not safe. It sears the prophet even as it illuminates the masses. 

The flame still burns. The gift cannot be unmade.

Where do you carry the torch?

With fire and light,

- IRIX