In his paintings, Marshall communicates a sense of black otherness and displacement by unnaturally darkening the skins of his black subjects and posing them so they look out, often reproachfully, at the viewer. But this is really all that he does. The rest of his scenes are painted in a hodgepodge style and cluttered with distracting details that drain them of their potential intensity. Marshall does not know where to stop. Instead of making a coherent statement, he just fills a room with junk.
Popeye is a cage made of rusty steel.
At its center is a large hollow steel pipe held in tension off the ground by chains attached at the top and bottom of the cage. A spotlight, suspended above Popeye at a slight angle, illuminates the cage and casts complex shadows on the floor that seem to dissolve the physical borders of the piece. As we approach, we step on these shadows and are drawn into the piece. The work is contemplative. It doesn't reveal itself all at once, but it will communicate if you give it time.