Monument to Destruction
A British statue removed by Black Lives Matter protesters has been replaced – with a statue of a Black Lives Matter protester.
A British statue removed by Black Lives Matter protesters has been replaced – with a statue of a Black Lives Matter protester:
The figure of Jen Reid, who was photographed standing on the plinth with her fist raised after the 17th century merchant was toppled by Black Lives Matter demonstrators last month, was erected at dawn by a team directed by the artist Marc Quinn …
Arriving in two lorries before 5am, a team of 10 people worked quickly to install the figure of Reid, who said she had been secretly working with Quinn on the idea for weeks. It came as a complete surprise to the authorities, who are yet to announce their plans for the location …
The new black resin and steel figure – entitled A Surge of Power (Jen Reid) 2020 – was transported from Quinn’s studio on Tuesday ...
Resin and steel, you say? Should burn quite nicely.
“It’s a really great addition to the centre of Bristol,” said Bobby Loyal, an engineer who stopped on his bike.
“It’s a really nice move. I just hope no one is angry about it and tries to rip this down. The statue before was offensive to a lot of people, I don’t think this is. I think the council should leave it in place.”
Well, just hold on a second there, Bobby. The statue was created by a white man who has plainly appropriated a black woman’s struggle, which may in time prove problematic.
For now, however, Jen Reid is pleased:
On whether there was an issue with a white artist being behind the work, Reid said: “It’s not even a question. If we have allies, it doesn’t matter what colour they are. He has done something to represent BLM, and to keep the conversation going.”
They’re much less forgiving at San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art:
Museum Curator Resigns After He Is Accused of Racism for Saying He Would Still Collect Art From White Men
Also in the US, all sorts of monuments are springing up to celebrate recent peaceful activism:
More video shows the aftermath of the #Minneapolisriots. The video is taken by @maxnesterak, a reporter in #Minneapolis. Highly suggest following them for up to date information. pic.twitter.com/Om4m61nYEv
— The Up2Dater (@UptoDateNewz) May 28, 2020
UPDATE. The statue item is brought to you by the Guardian, which is dealing with destruction issues of its own.
UPDATE II:
The NYPD chief of department, Terence Monahan, publicly "took a knee" with the anti-police left last month. Today, anti-police "protesters" assaulted and injured him. https://t.co/1obUfZs4ga pic.twitter.com/Xb0fUvz1hg
— Sohrab Ahmari (@SohrabAhmari) July 15, 2020