Artist Lex Marie Uses Belts in Art to Address Corporal Punishment in Black Households

The Discipline of Form: Lex Marie's Belt Art Examines Black Parenting

Multidisciplinary artist Lex Marie has created a provocative series of artworks that use leather belts to explore the history and practice of discipline within Black families. The collection is scheduled for exhibition at The Bishop gallery in Brooklyn, New York, this fall.

"I'm critiquing discipline in Black households specifically. But I'm trying to tackle the history behind discipline in black households, behind spankings and whippings, and speak to the difference in how millennials are raising their children as well." — Lex Marie

Marie, 33, is a mother of an eight-year-old boy and creates her art at the American University's Katzen Arts Center in Washington, D.C. Her series features powerful, tactile pieces including:

• "Watch Your Tone" : A six-by-six-foot canvas composed entirely of belts in shades of brown, black, and pink.
• "Because I Love You" : A wooden panel intentionally struck with paint-dipped belts, leaving a textured record of impact.

Some of the artworks from this series have already been acquired by filmmaker Spike Lee.

Yohuru Williams, founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas, places the work in a broader historical framework:

"This idea of whipping, this idea that black bodies require extreme punishment... has deep roots that extend beyond slavery. It [was] really reinforced by the enslavement of Africans."

Williams also emphasized the need for community introspection, stating, "We owe it to ourselves as a community to revisit that" in reference to the corporal punishment practices examined by the art.

The series has generated significant discussion online. Videos of the artwork have amassed thousands of comments on TikTok and Instagram, with viewers sharing deeply personal childhood stories in response.

Marie is clear about her goal. She states the work is not meant to accuse or shame, but rather to create a necessary space for dialogue. The art functions as a catalyst, transforming a private, often painful, family experience into a public conversation about generational change, love, and discipline.