PROTESTING POLICE BRUTALITY
Defending Black Lives Through Art
Blazing fires, flash bombs and clouds of tear gas erupted in cities across America and beyond this past week. Tens of thousands are protesting the May 25th killing of George Floyd—a 46-year-old African-American man pinned to the ground by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer in Minneapolis. Chauvin is charged with murder by pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as the victim repeatedly exclaimed he couldn’t breathe. Although Floyd wasn’t shot, it is murder and a familiar scenario in the United States where 1,252 black people have been shot and killed by police since 2015 (The Washington Post) and that does not include those killed in police custody by other means. The ongoing peaceful protests and violent riots continue because people of all races are outraged and devastated that police brutality continues. Black lives are disproportionately affected by two pandemics right now, the coronavirus and systemic racism.
Art is often a powerful vehicle to address the malignant issue of violence against black people. Some works, like Dana Schutz’s Open Casket (2016) or Sanford Biggers’ Laocoön (2015), spark controversy and criticism for sensationalizing black suffering within a voyeuristic “white cube” space—and capitalizing on the issue instead of advocating for actual change. But, other artists take a more constructive role in defending black lives beyond the insular art world. If you’re feeling heartbroken, frustrated and helpless about the current state of affairs, here are some artists you can support who are effectively combating police brutality and racial injustice through their practices:
Dread Scott
In his artist’s statement, Dread Scott declares, “I make revolutionary art to propel history forward. I look towards an era without exploitation or oppression. I don’t accept the political structures, economic foundation, social relations and governing ideas of America.” Because of these beliefs, Scott’s work challenges symbols of American patriotism that signify subjugation, like the American flag and the constitution (both of which he’s burned in performance). In 2016, Scott protested the police killings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling with A Man Was Lynched by Police Yesterday. It showed a black flag raised outside the Jack Shainman Gallery in New York. It displayed the work’s title in bold white text intended to initiate public dialogue and get widespread media coverage. Last year, in November, Scott and hundreds of re-enactors reproduced the largest slave revolt in United States history with a community engaged performance spanning 24 miles over two days around New Orleans.
Patrisse Cullors
Los Angeles-based performance artist Patrisse Cullors is also an activist, organizer and freedom fighter. As a co-founder of Black Lives Matter and founder of Dignity and Power Now, her art shines a light on systemic violence within marginalized communities. Significant self-conceived projects include Where Will You Go?—which examined the impact law enforcement declarations have on black citizens—and HateisHateisHate, an interactive installation expressing the struggles black people face in society. When speaking about her art, Cullors told Artforum, “Western society and white supremacy bifurcate—make things one or the other—and our bodies cannot do that. When you ask someone to make dichotomies, to not be their full self, that’s when you witness a human being in pain. When I’m making work, I’m thinking: “How is my audience going to feel this, smell this, see this? Is it going to reshape their bodies? Transform their bodies?”
Emory Douglas
American graphic designer Emory Douglas worked as the Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party—guiding the imagery of the revolutionary political organization—from 1967 until the Panthers broke up in the 1980s. And more than a half-century later, his work still resonates deeply, as most of the racism that he depicts is still systematically in place. Douglas developed an interest in the Black Arts Movement when studying graphic design at San Francisco City College and eventually attracted the attention of Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale. The posters that Douglas created as a central figure in the party became iconic images of the era. Although Douglas is officially retired, his work continues to exhibit internationally, largely influencing younger activist artists.
DJ Lynnée Denise
Lynnée Denise is an artist, scholar and writer whose practice deals with underground cultural movements, the 1980s, migration, theories of escape and electronic music of the African Diaspora. Influenced by her parents’ record collection, Denise coined the term “DJ Scholarship” to shift the role of the DJ “from a party purveyor to an archivist, cultural custodian and information specialist of music with critical value.” Denise uses music as a medium for necessary public dialogue on repositioning how to understand the Black Atlantic in its social context, entertainment and beyond. She engages people through interactive workshops, lectures, conferences and performance venues. Her work has been shown at institutions like the Broad Museum, the Tate Modern, Savvy Contemporary Gallery Berlin, Goldsmiths University of London, Iziko South African Museum, Stanford, Yale, NYU and Princeton.
Art Responders
Art Responders—an art collective aiming to create “opportunities for cultural engagement as a conduit to cultural inclusion and restorative justice”—was formed by artist Daryl Wells in response to the murder of Michael Brown by Ferguson, MO police officer Darren Wilson in 2014. What started as a social media forum for artists to share their interpretations of police brutality, has evolved into a cultural engagement program for social justice. The collective’s first exhibition, VIRAL: 25 Years Since Rodney King at the Durón Gallery in LA in 2016, utilized portraiture, street art, virtual reality and first-person shooter games to educate and creatively inspire change. Another multimedia exhibition, Cops, Color and Casualties (2016), compiled over 100 works by more than fifty American artists. Its theme: to unpack the issue of excessive force in U.S. law enforcement and encourage concrete action to create a future without fear of police.
If you are looking for more than words to understand society and its inequities, PROVOKR suggests drawing on art and music as well.
