Colony Little, Culture Shock Art

I hear Shakespeare’s “what’s past is prologue” on a regular basis these days.  When we study history with the unique privledge of time and ideological distance, it’s too easy to criticize what we once considered unfathomable. The atrocities of the past would not dare repeat themselves in the present, because the scars and the pain remain fresh–they never heal.  Sadly we’ve also managed to convince ourselves that if we don’t talk about our pain, the pain will somehow go away to make way for the promise of the future, in other words, the past is irrelevant.  “Not talking” and not confronting our past has gotten us into a lot of trouble today.  We don’t want to talk politics because we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. When we protest as an outward expression of our pain and frustration, we are silenced. And even in silent forms of protest, we are rendered mute when the message that is perceived as one of disrespect.

In these moments art provides context.  Art created today is in conversation with what’s not currently said. Art created in the past speaks to the time it was created in and in some instances it provides a glimpse into our present.

This bust by Elizabeth Catlett from 1970 is just as haunting now as it was when it was originally produced.  The patinated bronze surface resembles distinguished grey hair that yield to beautifully formed facial features; his cheekbones and strong jaw and the relaxed deep indentation of laugh lines portray a quiet strength–then I am frozen by his eyes. The gaze becomes instantly ominous once you recognize the placement of the crosshairs in the scope. Even the physical placement of the metal scope in a roughly drilled hole in the wood block appears haphazard & abrupt.  It’s a jarring reminder of the precariousness of life and is a sobering reflection on judgement.

And when I look at Catlett’s work from 1970 next to “a Rose By Any Other Name” by Genevieve Gaignard, a work created in a direct response to police brutality, I am reminded of what little has changed in 47 years.