An artist's unflinching look at racial violence | Sanford Biggers

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuća Lektor: Tijana Mihajlović

As a conceptual artist,

Kao konceptualni umetnik,

I'm constantly looking for creative ways to spark challenging conversations.

stalno tragam za kreativnim načinima da podstaknem izazovne razgovore.

I do this though painting, sculpture, video and performance.

To činim kroz slikarstvo, skulpture, video zapise i performans.

But regardless of the format,

Ipak, bez obzira na format,

two of my favorite materials are history and dialogue.

dva moja omiljena materijala su istorija i dijalog.

In 2007, I created "Lotus,"

Godine 2007. stvorio sam „Lotosa“,

a seven-and-a-half-foot diameter,

2,3 metara u prečniku,

600-pound glass depiction of a lotus blossom.

270 kg težine staklenog prikaza lotosovog cveta.

In Buddhism, the lotus is a symbol for transcendence

U budizmu, lotos predstavlja simbol transcedentnosti

and for purity of mind and spirit.

i čistoće uma i duha.

But a closer look at this lotus

Međutim, sagledavanje ovog lotosa izbliza

reveals each petal to be the cross-section of a slave ship.

otkriva da svaka latica predstavlja poprečni presek broda sa robovima.

This iconic diagram was taken from a British slaving manual

Ovaj čuveni dijagram je preuzet iz britanskog priručnika za robovlasnike

and later used by abolitionists to show the atrocities of slavery.

i kasnije su ga koristili abolicionisti da prikažu strahote ropstva.

In America, we don't like to talk about slavery,

U Americi ne volimo da govorimo o ropstvu,

nor do we look at it as a global industry.

niti ga posmatramo kao globalnu industriju.

But by using this Buddhist symbol,

Ipak, pomoću ovog budističkog simbola,

I hope to universalize and transcend

nadam se da učinim univerzalnim i postignem prevazilaženje

the history and trauma of black America

istorije i traume crne Amerike

and encourage discussions about our shared past.

i podstaknem diskusije o našoj zajedničkoj prošlosti.

To create "Lotus," we carved over 6,000 figures.

Da bismo stvorili „Lotos“, izgravirali smo preko 6 000 figura.

And this later led to a commission by the City of New York

Ovo je kasnije dovelo do porudžbine od strane grada Njujorka

to create a 28-foot version in steel

da se napravi verzija od 7,6 metara u čeliku

as a permanent installation at the Eagle Academy for Young Men,

kao stalna instalacija akademije za mladiće Igl,

a school for black and latino students,

škole za crnačke i latinoameričke učenike,

the two groups most affected by this history.

dve grupe koje je ova istorija najviše pogodila.

The same two groups are very affected by a more recent phenomenon,

Iste dve grupe su pod velikim uticajem jedne skorije pojave,

but let me digress.

ali dopustite da napravim digresiju.

I've been collecting wooden African figures

Prikupljao sam drvene afričke figure

iz turističkih radnji i sa buvljih pijaca širom sveta.

from tourist shops and flea markets around the world.

The authenticity and origin of them is completely debatable,

Njihova autentičnost i poreklo su sasvim pod znakom pitanja,

but people believe these to be imbued with power,

ali ljudi veruju da ih prožima moć,

or even magic.

pa čak i magija.

Only recently have I figured out how to use this in my own work.

Tek nedavno sam našao način kako da ovo iskoristim u svom radu.

(Gun shots)

(Pucnji pištolja)

Since 2012, the world has witnessed the killings of Trayvon Martin,

Od 2012. godine, svet je bio svedok ubistava Trejvona Martina,

Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice

Majkla Brauna, Erika Garnera, Sandre Blend, Tamira Rajsa

and literally countless other unarmed black citizens

i bukvalno bezbroj drugih nenaoružanih građana crne rase

at the hands of the police,

koje je počinila policija,

who frequently walk away with no punishment at all.

pri čemu bi se ona često izvukla bez ikakve kazne.

In consideration of these victims

Radi uvažavanja ovih žrtava

and the several times that even I,

i nekoliko situacija u kojima sam čak i ja,

a law-abiding, Ivy League professor,

profesor cenjenog univerziteta koji se pridržava zakona,

have been targeted and harassed at gunpoint by the police.

bio meta maltretiranja policije pod pretnjom oružjem.

I created this body of work simply entitled "BAM."

Stvorio sam ovaj opus jednostavno nazvan „BAM“.

It was important to erase the identity of each of these figures,

Bilo je važno izbrisati identitet svake od ovih figura,

to make them all look the same and easier to disregard.

učiniti da izgledaju isto i da bude lakše ne pridavati im značaj.

To do this, I dip them in a thick, brown wax

Da bih to postigao, umočio sam ih u debeli braon vosak

before taking them to a shooting range

pre nego što sam ih odneo na strelište

where I re-sculpted them using bullets.

gde sam im izmenio oblik mecima.

And it was fun,

Bilo je zabavno

playing with big guns and high-speed video cameras.

igrati se velikim oružjem i kamerama za usporeno snimanje.

But my reverence for these figures kept me from actually pulling the trigger,

Ipak, moje poštovanje prema ovim figurama sprečavalo me je da zaista povučem okidač,

somehow feeling as if I would be shooting myself.

jer sam se nekako osećao kao da bih pucao na samog sebe.

Finally, my cameraman, Raul, fired the shots.

Na kraju je moj kamerman Raul pucao.

I then took the fragments of these

Zatim sam uzeo ostatke ovih figura,

and created molds, and cast them first in wax,

napravio kalupe i izlio ih najpre u vosku,

and finally in bronze like the image you see here,

a na kraju u bronzi, kao na prikazu koju ovde vidite,

which bears the marks of its violent creation

koji nosi tragove svog nasilnog stvaranja

like battle wounds or scars.

poput bojnih rana ili ožiljaka.

When I showed this work recently in Miami,

Kada sam nedavno pokazao ovaj rad u Majamiju,

a woman told me she felt every gun shot to her soul.

jedna žena mi je rekla da je osetila svaki pucanj na svojoj duši.

But she also felt that these artworks

Takođe je osetila da ovakva umetnička dela

memorialized the victims of these killings

odaju počast žrtvama tih ubijanja,

as well as other victims of racial violence throughout US history.

kao i drugim žrtvama rasnog nasilja kroz čitavu istoriju SAD-a.

But "Lotus" and "BAM" are larger than just US history.

Međutim, „Lotos“ i „BAM“ predstavljaju više od istorije SAD-a.

While showing in Berlin last year,

Kada sam ih prikazivao prošle godine u Berlinu,

a philosophy student asked me what prompted these recent killings.

student filozofije me je upitao šta je podstaklo na ta nedavna ubistva.

I showed him a photo of a lynching postcard

Pokazao sam mu fotografiju razglednice sa linčovanjem

from the early 1900s

iz ranih 1900-ih godina

and reminded him that these killings have been going on for over 500 years.

i podsetio ga da se ta ubijanja odvijaju već preko 500 godina.

But it's only through questions like his

Ipak, samo kroz pitanja poput njegovog

and more thoughtful dialogue about history and race

i promišljeniji dijalog o istoriji i rasi

can we evolve as individuals and society.

možemo se razviti kao pojedinci i društvo.

I hope my artwork creates a safe space

Nadam se da će moj umetnički rad stvoriti siguran prostor

for this type of honest exchange

za tu vrstu iskrene razmene

and an opportunity for people to engage one another

i priliku da se ljudi međusobno aktiviraju

in real and necessary conversation.

u pravom i neophodnom razgovoru.

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)