Art as Declaration at the New York Public Library

From Glenn Ligon "Runaways" series (1993)

Despite having worked across the street from the New York Public Library for a number of years, I never crossed its threshold until my most recent visit to New York. Shame on me! What a gorgeous space - not to mention a killer gift shop that rivals that of any museum. But what brought me there wasn't the shopping opportunity; it was an exhibit entitled "Art as Declaration." The show takes a look at the ways contemporary artists have "reframed and reimagined" the promises of the Declaration of Independence 250 years after our country's founding. It's incredibly powerful. 

I'll start with Ligon's series lithographs inspired by slave runaway ads. They will stay with me for a long time. To create the works, Ligon asked 10 friends how they would describe him. The text in each work starts "Ran away, Glenn" and goes on to repeat one of those descriptions. Whoa. I can't imagine the intensity of emotions Ligon must have felt while creating this series. To see the series in its entirety -- with legible text (sorry!)-- click here. And for more on Ligon and his work, click here. 

"Marcus Garvey Vitamins" by David Hammons

David Hammons' "Marcus Garvey Vitamins" was another standout. Garvey was a Jamaican political activist who advocated for Black financial and cultural independence from white systems of power and governance. He championed Pan-African independence and designed the Pan-African Flag. The red, green and black flag represents Pan-Africanism, Black liberation, and people of African descent around the world. 

You can't tell from this image, but the "vitamins" (jelly beans) are the same colors as the Pan-African flag. Hammons once said, "outrageously magical things happen when you mess around with a symbol." This work is one example of him taking this approach. 

Hammons' choice of jelly beans as the vitamins was more than a matter of convenience. He considered their use -- along with that of an old honey jar -- as a means of transforming everyday items you could find at a bodega into "a superpower of radical political spirit, civic power and imagination." The further implication is that these "vitamins" would help the person taking them channel the power of Pan-African history in his or her life. I like it. 

"Holy Bible, King James Version,
, Self-published" by Robert The (1995)

I'm not a religious person, but Robert The's "Holy Bible, King James Version" was quite unsettling. The's practice is focused on carving used and discarded books into sculptural forms. He has to use a power saw to create his work given the density of compressed paper. Like most transformations, tt's a hard, messy process. 

One description of his work noted that The "'vandalizes back to life' discarded or thrift-store books to make a statement about cultural consumption and the erosion of meaning," so there's a connection there between the intention of his work and Hammons' "Marcus Garvey Vitamins." The intention behind his "Holy Bible" was "to conflate and confuse the relationships between protection, faith and violence." There's a lot to unpack there. My immediate thought was to the violence of the Crusades, but there are plenty of modern day examples, including the purported religious rationale of the 9/11 terrorists. To see more examples of The's book art, click here. 

With that, I'll leave you with an exhortation to see the exhibit if you're in the NY area. It's running through January 10th. For more on the show -- and the other ways the NY Public Library is celebrating our nation's 250th birthday -- click here.