March 1, 2008
MoCADA Speaks Out About Controversial Exhibit
"The Blue Wall of Violence" courtesy of MoCADA
Yesterday, The Daily News printed an article that began, "A cop-bashing art exhibit at a taxpayer-funded museum in Brooklyn portrays the city's Finest as trigger-happy racists who have put bull's-eyes on the backs of black New Yorkers."
The exhibit is a retrospective of the artist Dread Scott's work called "Welcome to America," and the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) is calling the paper out for sensationalizing the story with a laundry list of inaccuracies. Yesterday they sent us a statement saying they "stand firmly behind our decision to exhibit a retrospective of Dread Scott’s innovative and provocative work and strongly supports the right to free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment."
The museum, which is only partially tax-funded, then addressed "several inaccuracies and false implications made in the Daily News article on February 29, 2008."
• The exhibition is not cop-bashing. There are only two works within the entire exhibition that directly relates to police brutality and these images are simply a reflection of the artists’ opinion about police who use excessive force, not all police in general.City Council members have spoken out in support of the exhibit; Letitia James asked, “What is wrong with self-expression? I have been a strong supporter of MoCADA, its exhibitions and programs from the beginning and will continue to support them.” Artistic freedom or NYPD-bashing? Decide for yourself, the exhibit is open through June 1st.• Nowhere in the artist’s work are police directly or indirectly referred to or labeled as “trigger-happy racists,” as the Daily News implies. However, the work does remind viewers that disproportionately high young black males are shooting victims.
• The rest of the images on exhibition are not mentioned, which confront issues about the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina and the experience of men within the prison population. All of these works are important social and political messages, none of which are mentioned whatsoever in the Daily News article.
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The knee-jerk reaction in The Daily News is the kind of dumbing down that encourages stereotypes and segregation. There can be conflicting truths surrounding works of art like these. I wish that both sides could take a more nuanced view of the subject of crime, law-enforcement and racism.
this is just really really bad art...seriously tho, never mind the cop bashing...this is just really terrible art...artists like these de-value other artists who actually have talent...not to mention artists of previous generations (pre 1960) who were able to complete masterpieces...this guy is an idiot and the subject matter couldn't be more cliche
where's pat lynch?
and steven macDonald.
Wait, we're not allowed to bash the NYPD now?
Also: I think capitalizing "Finest" is a bit lickspittle.
So, if art has any taxpayer support, it has to lick ass? Fahrenheit 451 anyone?
Hey- If the American Negro subculture want to see this kind of 'work' as... well-> 'art'- then so be it.
This is the type of thing that defines them as a group (subculture) here in America... -this along with the group's interesting and unusual mode of dress- ill-fitting though it may be.
(This dress is actually changing the anthropology of the group- forcing young negro men to 'waddle' (adopting a side-to-side gate) rather than walking upright and straight ahead.)
Its cop bashing AND artistic expression. You can have both at the same time!