dagblog - Comments for "Kehinde Wiley’s Times Square Monument: That’s No Robert E. Lee"

Update: The sculpture was

artappraiser — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 05:36:13 +0000

In reply to Kehinde Wiley’s Times Square Monument: That’s No Robert E. Lee

Update: The sculpture was unveiled Dec. 10 at its permanent home @ the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Short essay at their website here. Nota bene: Was not cheap; cost a lot of money to do this, donated by these rich people listed here:

VMFA is grateful to the following donors whose generous gifts supported the installation of Rumors of War.

Pamela K. and William A. Royall, Jr.

Katherine and Steven Markel
Angel and Tom Papa

Carol Ann Bischoff and Mike Regan
Joan P. Brock
Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Cabaniss, Jr.
Thomas F. Garner, Jr. and William V. Garner Families
Goode Family Foundation
Kathryn Gray and Alex Nyerges
Dr. Monroe E. Harris and Dr. Jill B. Harris
Kenneth and Lydia Johnson
Denise Keane, Leonard Mandl, and Graham Mandl
James W. Klaus
Elizabeth Locke and John Staelin
Michele and Chris Petersen
Richard S. Reynolds Foundation
Ting Xu and James (Yongjie) Xu and Xu Family

Anne Battle and Leonard S. Slater
Karen Cogar and Danny Abramson
Drs. Ronald A. and Betty Neal Crutcher and Sara Crutcher
Ken Dye and Sam Seeley
Martha and Richard Glasser Beloved
Elizabeth and Charles Hodges
Dr. and Mrs. Chris and Barbara Howard
The Honorable C. N. Jenkins, Jr. and Dr. Pamela Royal
Jerson Jones
Pat and Karen Kelly
Wyckie and Bill McClure
Elizabeth S. Morgan
Mr. and Mrs. Larry I. Palmer
Jennifer and Geoff Sisk
Scott and Lilo Ukrop
Thomas and Deborah Valentine

This list reflects gifts as of December 10, 2019.

Read more at https://www.vmfa.museum/about/rumors-of-war/#oi1wIkqmD7G8OIEh.99

Kara Walker produced a

rmrd0000 — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 01:04:22 +0000

In reply to Similar just went up across

Kara Walker produced a painting honoring the late Toni. Morrison for the New Yorker in less than 24 hours.

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/kara-walker-honors-toni-morrison-new-yorker-cover-1620208

Similar just went up across

artappraiser — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 22:40:23 +0000

In reply to Kehinde Wiley’s Times Square Monument: That’s No Robert E. Lee

Similar just went up across the pond in a very prestigious prize commission. Kara's been an art world star quite a bit longer than Wiley, and is taken more seriously as well, as she has proven herself not to be a flash in the pan:

“Fons Americanus,” Kara Walker's newest installation at the Tate Modern, is a twisted counterpart to the Victoria Memorial. Is London ready for it? https://t.co/6J7jNr1UZ2
— New York Times Arts (@nytimesarts) September 30, 2019

Protests to have the statues

rmrd0000 — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 23:19:00 +0000

In reply to He's talking about his past

How is removing statues of dead people wreaking vengeance? Aren't you making those people victims?

So, there cannot protest to

rmrd0000 — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 23:12:44 +0000

In reply to You are certainly entitled to

So, there cannot protest to have the statues taken down? Protest aimed at removal does not seem like the action of a victim. The tribal people are those promoting the Lost Cause. You make the discussion personal. People came out in Charlottesville to protest a statue. The mayors of Richmond and Charlottesville want the statues gone. Those arguing for statue removal are diverse, not single tribes. The Nazis were, wel they looked like Nazis.

You are certainly entitled to

artappraiser — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 21:51:54 +0000

In reply to He's talking about his past

P.S. You are certainly entitled to twist what he is doing to try to get to fix like a square peg into the round hole of your tribalist vision of eternal warfare. As with all art work, it's the beholder's choice. But I think you do it to your own detriment. How many times does his introduction have to be repeated to you for you to get what he is after here?

“Today we say yes to something that looks like us. We say yes to inclusivity. We say yes to broader notions of what it means to be an American.”

He's not out for more anger and division and zero sum game between tribes. It's "make America proud again" and "e pluribus unum", it's very much the Obama vision.

He's talking about his past

artappraiser — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 21:33:59 +0000

In reply to Kehinde Wiley felt fear and

He's talking about his past reactions there. He learned from that, from his feelings. What he has decided should be done about it is what he is doing here. Not obsessing on the old ones but making new to represent the present and future. Don't you think that his statue officially endorsed by Virginia institutions would strike a white suprematist with similar feelings? It's a glass half full approach and opposite of your victimization approach. It's a "we already won" meme, that's history. Not a constant fixation on victimization nor is there a need expressed to wreak vengeance on descendants of people who are dead.

The main meme is "victory

artappraiser — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 21:26:41 +0000

In reply to Kehinde Wiley’s Times Square Monument: That’s No Robert E. Lee

The main meme is "victory celebration"

In Times Square, Kehinde Wiley Unveils His First, Monumental Work of Public Art

By Helen Holmes @ TheObserver. com, 09/28/19 9:00am

[...] The jubilant defiance in the air was reflected both by the crowd and by the Malcolm X Shabazz High School marching band, which performed both before and after the sculpture was revealed. Sean Kelly, whose gallery has represented Wiley since 2010, was also on hand to praise the artist.

“Monuments have always historically been vanity projects that are erected primarily to the victors,” Kelly told Observer. “I thank we have to think about winning in a very different way. I think it’s a moment that we all need to reflect upon not coloring within the lines of other people’s priorities, but actually recasting our own priorities.”

The conscious reconfiguring of perspective was Friday’s overwhelmingly evident theme. “Rumors of War offers a counter-narrative to an incomplete American history,” Alex Nyerges, the Director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, told Observer this week. “This installation is meant to invoke a dialogue — about who we memorialize, about what our values should be. I believe that the resulting conversation is just as much a part of the artwork.”

The VFMA, for its own part, has of late done a considerable amount of work to insure that the demographics of their staff reflects their values when it comes to racial diversity. “In the last five years, our leadership has evolved to be 50% white and 50% non-white,” Nyerges continued. “Prior to this, our executive leadership consisted of four men, one woman, and no people of color. We had to reflect on the values that we wanted to demonstrate, and that’s where institutional change starts.”[....]

Which reminds me very much of "we're here we're queer deal with it", which, after a period of much sturm and drang, turned out to be astoundingly sucessful in a short amount of time.

The Virginia legislature is

rmrd0000 — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 21:21:10 +0000

In reply to The irony, though, is that it

The Virginia legislature is deciding what local communities can do, not rejecting the orders of the federal government.

Kehinde Wiley felt fear and

rmrd0000 — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 21:14:10 +0000

In reply to The statue didn't kill anyone

Kehinde Wiley felt fear and dread. There are over 1700 other statues that remain. World renowned artists aren't coming to challenge them. So we have ongoing fear and dread. Remove the atrocities.

Fuck what white supremacists might do. They are slaying people in churches, synagogues, and stores despite the statues remaining in place.