As a conceptual artist, I'm constantly looking for creative ways to spark challenging conversations. I do this though painting, sculpture, video and performance. But regardless of the format, two of my favorite materials are history and dialogue.
Kao konceptualni umetnik, stalno tragam za kreativnim načinima da podstaknem izazovne razgovore. To činim kroz slikarstvo, skulpture, video zapise i performans. Ipak, bez obzira na format, dva moja omiljena materijala su istorija i dijalog.
In 2007, I created "Lotus," a seven-and-a-half-foot diameter, 600-pound glass depiction of a lotus blossom. In Buddhism, the lotus is a symbol for transcendence and for purity of mind and spirit. But a closer look at this lotus reveals each petal to be the cross-section of a slave ship. This iconic diagram was taken from a British slaving manual and later used by abolitionists to show the atrocities of slavery. In America, we don't like to talk about slavery, nor do we look at it as a global industry. But by using this Buddhist symbol, I hope to universalize and transcend the history and trauma of black America and encourage discussions about our shared past.
Godine 2007. stvorio sam „Lotosa“, 2,3 metara u prečniku, 270 kg težine staklenog prikaza lotosovog cveta. U budizmu, lotos predstavlja simbol transcedentnosti i čistoće uma i duha. Međutim, sagledavanje ovog lotosa izbliza otkriva da svaka latica predstavlja poprečni presek broda sa robovima. Ovaj čuveni dijagram je preuzet iz britanskog priručnika za robovlasnike i kasnije su ga koristili abolicionisti da prikažu strahote ropstva. U Americi ne volimo da govorimo o ropstvu, niti ga posmatramo kao globalnu industriju. Ipak, pomoću ovog budističkog simbola, nadam se da učinim univerzalnim i postignem prevazilaženje istorije i traume crne Amerike i podstaknem diskusije o našoj zajedničkoj prošlosti.
To create "Lotus," we carved over 6,000 figures. And this later led to a commission by the City of New York to create a 28-foot version in steel as a permanent installation at the Eagle Academy for Young Men, a school for black and latino students, the two groups most affected by this history. The same two groups are very affected by a more recent phenomenon, but let me digress.
Da bismo stvorili „Lotos“, izgravirali smo preko 6 000 figura. Ovo je kasnije dovelo do porudžbine od strane grada Njujorka da se napravi verzija od 7,6 metara u čeliku kao stalna instalacija akademije za mladiće Igl, škole za crnačke i latinoameričke učenike, dve grupe koje je ova istorija najviše pogodila. Iste dve grupe su pod velikim uticajem jedne skorije pojave, ali dopustite da napravim digresiju.
I've been collecting wooden African figures from tourist shops and flea markets around the world. The authenticity and origin of them is completely debatable, but people believe these to be imbued with power, or even magic. Only recently have I figured out how to use this in my own work.
Prikupljao sam drvene afričke figure iz turističkih radnji i sa buvljih pijaca širom sveta. Njihova autentičnost i poreklo su sasvim pod znakom pitanja, ali ljudi veruju da ih prožima moć, pa čak i magija. Tek nedavno sam našao način kako da ovo iskoristim u svom radu.
(Gun shots)
(Pucnji pištolja)
Since 2012, the world has witnessed the killings of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice and literally countless other unarmed black citizens at the hands of the police, who frequently walk away with no punishment at all. In consideration of these victims and the several times that even I, a law-abiding, Ivy League professor, have been targeted and harassed at gunpoint by the police. I created this body of work simply entitled "BAM."
Od 2012. godine, svet je bio svedok ubistava Trejvona Martina, Majkla Brauna, Erika Garnera, Sandre Blend, Tamira Rajsa i bukvalno bezbroj drugih nenaoružanih građana crne rase koje je počinila policija, pri čemu bi se ona često izvukla bez ikakve kazne. Radi uvažavanja ovih žrtava i nekoliko situacija u kojima sam čak i ja, profesor cenjenog univerziteta koji se pridržava zakona, bio meta maltretiranja policije pod pretnjom oružjem. Stvorio sam ovaj opus jednostavno nazvan „BAM“.
It was important to erase the identity of each of these figures, to make them all look the same and easier to disregard. To do this, I dip them in a thick, brown wax before taking them to a shooting range where I re-sculpted them using bullets. And it was fun, playing with big guns and high-speed video cameras. But my reverence for these figures kept me from actually pulling the trigger, somehow feeling as if I would be shooting myself. Finally, my cameraman, Raul, fired the shots. I then took the fragments of these and created molds, and cast them first in wax, and finally in bronze like the image you see here, which bears the marks of its violent creation like battle wounds or scars.
Bilo je važno izbrisati identitet svake od ovih figura, učiniti da izgledaju isto i da bude lakše ne pridavati im značaj. Da bih to postigao, umočio sam ih u debeli braon vosak pre nego što sam ih odneo na strelište gde sam im izmenio oblik mecima. Bilo je zabavno igrati se velikim oružjem i kamerama za usporeno snimanje. Ipak, moje poštovanje prema ovim figurama sprečavalo me je da zaista povučem okidač, jer sam se nekako osećao kao da bih pucao na samog sebe. Na kraju je moj kamerman Raul pucao. Zatim sam uzeo ostatke ovih figura, napravio kalupe i izlio ih najpre u vosku, a na kraju u bronzi, kao na prikazu koju ovde vidite, koji nosi tragove svog nasilnog stvaranja poput bojnih rana ili ožiljaka.
When I showed this work recently in Miami, a woman told me she felt every gun shot to her soul. But she also felt that these artworks memorialized the victims of these killings as well as other victims of racial violence throughout US history.
Kada sam nedavno pokazao ovaj rad u Majamiju, jedna žena mi je rekla da je osetila svaki pucanj na svojoj duši. Takođe je osetila da ovakva umetnička dela odaju počast žrtvama tih ubijanja, kao i drugim žrtvama rasnog nasilja kroz čitavu istoriju SAD-a.
But "Lotus" and "BAM" are larger than just US history. While showing in Berlin last year, a philosophy student asked me what prompted these recent killings. I showed him a photo of a lynching postcard from the early 1900s and reminded him that these killings have been going on for over 500 years. But it's only through questions like his and more thoughtful dialogue about history and race can we evolve as individuals and society.
Međutim, „Lotos“ i „BAM“ predstavljaju više od istorije SAD-a. Kada sam ih prikazivao prošle godine u Berlinu, student filozofije me je upitao šta je podstaklo na ta nedavna ubistva. Pokazao sam mu fotografiju razglednice sa linčovanjem iz ranih 1900-ih godina i podsetio ga da se ta ubijanja odvijaju već preko 500 godina. Ipak, samo kroz pitanja poput njegovog i promišljeniji dijalog o istoriji i rasi možemo se razviti kao pojedinci i društvo.
I hope my artwork creates a safe space for this type of honest exchange and an opportunity for people to engage one another in real and necessary conversation.
Nadam se da će moj umetnički rad stvoriti siguran prostor za tu vrstu iskrene razmene i priliku da se ljudi međusobno aktiviraju u pravom i neophodnom razgovoru.
Thank you.
Hvala.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)