Black Lives Matter: Isaac Mettle

The Villain I Never Was – Isaac Mettle

Presented as part of the BLM Expo at Mid Street Lab

Isaac Mettle’s The Villain I Never Was is a powerful meditation on perception, identity, and reclamation. Created in conversation with the cultural shift sparked by the Black Lives Matter movement, the work confronts the historical burden placed on Black individuals to remain silent, to shrink, or to constantly justify their presence. In this piece, Mettle rejects those constraints with unapologetic boldness.

The title alone is a statement—a refusal of imposed narratives and inherited shame. Through raw, layered marks and visceral composition, Mettle reflects the lived experience of being misread, mistrusted, or misunderstood simply for existing. Yet, rather than centre trauma, the work pulses with liberation. It asserts a new kind of visibility: one not shaped by fear, but by self-knowledge, creative power, and joy.

In today’s context—where more Black people feel empowered to speak, create, and take up space without apology—The Villain I Never Was resonates deeply. It belongs to a growing movement that doesn’t seek permission to exist, but reclaims the right to thrive.

Mettle’s art, as always, bridges the personal and the political, the abstract and the deeply real. At Mid Street Lab, we are honoured to share this work as part of a broader conversation around truth-telling, transformation, and the beauty of daring to be fully seen.

Isaac Mettle
Artist
Instagram: @artbymettle