Ms Vandross
Team Owner
The statue was made by African-American artist Sanford Biggers
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I'll admit, my first reaction was:The thing about Sanford Biggers is he plays with the irony of racism using racist popular iconography. So this is a comment on how the Smithsonian is racist.
WTF is "African culture"? Typical homogenization of Africa/Africans. Whatever that thing is, it's hideous-looking!
And why is an African American artist making statues to represent "African culture" (whatever that is). If this were the other way around, we would never hear the end of it.
They will love it and talk about how progressive they are to put that monstrosity in Rockerfeller Center. Now if it were inside in the Rockerfeller collection, that might be one thing, however it does not have the ethos of many of those pieces. It looks cartoonish.Is this for Africans or Black Americans? Either way this sucks!
Which African artistic style is this mimicking?
Why celebrities(Many which will probably be black Americans)?
I have a feeling white folks will be apart of this somehow.
No explanation could make this seem okay!
That would still be generic. But I guess this is satire.I'll admit, my first reaction was:
Perhaps the traditional West/Central African mask style.
So sculpture is basically a comment on how the Smithsonian is racist and presents these racist trauma “African” images in their magazine. I don’t think the Smithsonian is in on the joke tho.
What is african culture?
Some people feel like all art should be able to be interpreted by any lay person and if it can’t then it’s too high brow. I don’t agree but I know that is a common view point.That’s really fine and well, but if someone needs a background in art to even get a semblance of your message and it’s supposed to be a piece that communicates something to the public I feel like it’s a wasted opportunity. Like it’s great to do this in museums where artsy people might not even see that he’s laughing at them or in more private high society places, but like this could have gone to someone who would make something that would make black people proud when they looked at it while walking past. Unfortunately this will just inspire ridicule, especially of African people. It’s not bad, but it is an interesting way of celebrating “African culture”.
Same reason African are taking African American roles in movies and theater.WTF is "African culture"? Typical homogenization of Africa/Africans by westerners. Whatever that thing is, it's hideous-looking!
And why is an African American artist making statues to represent "African culture" (whatever that is). If this were the other way around, we would never hear the end of it.