Rollins Museum - Fall 2020
LIBRO De LAS ESQUELAS
ANTONIO MARTORELL PUERTO RICAN, B. 1939 LIBRO De LAS ESQUELAS COLLAGE ON FELT, 2018 COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
BLACK SQUALL AT GIBRALTAR
JAMES BUTTERSWORTH ENGLISH, 1817-1894 BLACK SQUALL AT GIBRALTAR OIL ON BOARD, CA. 1855 DONATED IN MEMORY OF ROBERT G. SCULLY 2019.10
THE DEAD CHRIST WITH SYMBOLS OF THE PASSION
LAVINIA FONTANA ITALIAN, 1552-1614 THE DEAD CHRIST WITH SYMBOLS OF THE PASSION OIL, TEMPERA ON PANEL, 1581 GIFT OF THE LATE GENERAL AND MRS. JOHN J. CARTY, IN MEMORY OF HER BROTHER, THOMAS RUSSELL 1936.30 Signed and dated by Lavinia Fontana, one of the most celebrated women artists of Renaissance Europe, this small painting is a religious work used to aid in private devotion. Following conventional representations of the Deposition, but in Fontana’s characteristically elegant and moving style, the artist poignantly presents to the viewer the dead Christ with the physical signs of his Crucifixion. His heavy, lifeless body is lifted up by a pair of angels, and on either side, two angels hold instruments of his Passion: the cross to which he was nailed, the column to which he was tied during the flagellation, and the three nails that pierced his body. Emotionally-charged, this scene would have served to bring the devotee both to the physical site of the crucifixion and to a mental spa
CIRCUIT BREAK
MARCUS JANSEN AMERICAN, B. 1968 CIRCUIT BREAK OIL ENAMELS AND MIXED MEDIA AND COLLAGE ON CANVAS, 2013 EXPRESSIVE CULTURE LLC In his characteristic expressive style, Jansen creates in this work an environment peppered with fantastical elements that speak to very real issues. The contrast in scale underscores the ambiguity of the pictorial space and the precariousness of the scene. Are we looking inside an imagined circuit breaker box? Do these figures control the transmission of information? Why was it interrupted? Who are they? The image is an invitation to look closely and to question what is presented as truth. Jansen said about this and other works in this exhibition: “I hope that my paintings move people in a way that provokes questions and critical thinking, even if the painting may not give answers.” For the artist, close observation of current events and their historical context is at the core of the exercise of democracy.
¿QUÉSLAQUE? ES QUE LA…
ANTONIO MARTORELL PUERTO RICAN, B. 1939 ¿QUÉSLAQUE? ES QUE LA… ACRYLIC, COLLAGE, AND CALLIGRAPHY ON FELT, 2018 MUSEUM PURCHASE FROM THE MICHEL ROUX ACQUISITION FUND 2019.9 In September of 2017, Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico. The deadly storm caused over $80 billion in damages, collapsed the island’s power grid, and destroyed infrastructure. In the days and weeks following landfall, the number of casualties reported by local authorities became the center of a controversy. While the government of Puerto Rico insisted that the official death toll was 64, external studies conducted by Harvard and George Washington Universities revealed it was at least 2,975. In this work, Antonio Martorell, one of Puerto Rico’s most prolific contemporary artists, denounces the local government’s unwillingness to acknowledge the high number of deaths and the crisis that ensued in the following months. Here, the island’s map is made up of darkened, crossed out obituaries that function as a visual representation of the massive loss of life. The title of the piece, ¿Quéslaque? Es que la…, is a play on words with multilayered meanings. To the question ¿Quéslaque? a slang phrase that asks whassup?, the response is Es que la… a reference to the word esquela (obituary). However, this also signals the beginning of a failed explanation es que la… (what it is, is that…) commonly heard from government officials who, when confronted, provided insufficient answers to questions regarding the number of fatalities. For Martorell, a vocal advocate for the victims and their families, “it is sacred order to bury the dead, name them, and count them so they are not forgotten.”
THE ARCTIC IS PARIS
MEL CHIN AMERICAN, B. 1951 THE ARCTIC IS PARIS / L’ARCTIQUE EST PARIS DIGITAL FILM, 2015 THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART AT ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND 2019.2.15 Mel Chin works in a wide variety of media, including painting, drawing, photography, film, and immersive AR (augmented reality) programs. In this 2015 work, Chin follows the Inuit Hunter Jens Danielsen as he is pulled through Paris by a team of trained standard poodles. Jens Danielsen travelled to Paris from Greenland during the 2015 Paris COP21 Climate Conference to advocate for increased awareness on climate change. Danielsen and his community witnessed first-hand the rising temperatures and sea levels of the Arctic, and through this film urges viewers to consider how the changes in the Arctic impact the environment in Paris and beyond. More recently, the film’s creators have launched a project called “The Arctic is your Hometown” through which they hope to spread environmental consciousness.
CYBER SURVEILLANCE ON THE WASTELAND
MARCUS JANSEN AMERICAN, B. 196 CYBER SURVEILLANCE ON THE WASTELAND OIL ENAMELS, MIXED MEDIA COLLAGE ON CANVAS, 2009 EXPRESSIVE CULTURE LLC Vibrating with painterly energy, Cyber Surveillance On The Wasteland depicts a site engulfed by the detritus of violence and conflict. A mound of tangled cables and twisted parts fills much of the canvas. On the right side of the painting, two small figures survey the damage; they are the only ones who survived the event that caused such devastation. How is survival possible in these conditions? Bathed in sunlight, the structure still standing at the center of the composition, suggests the possibility of reconstruction, perseverance, and a new beginning.
TAR BEACH
FAITH RINGGOLD AMERICAN, B. 1930 TAR BEACH WOODCUT ON PAPER, 1983 MUSEUM PURCHASE FROM THE WALLY FINDLAY ACQUISITION FUND 1995.27 Born in Harlem, New York, Faith Ringgold has devoted her career as an artist and educator to the pursuit of equality for women and African Americans. Her paintings, quilts, collages, and illustrated books, shed light on the stories and experiences of those often overlooked in mainstream narratives of American society and culture. Inspired by her childhood memories, Ringgold depicts in this work the story of a young girl named Cassie, the main character of her children’s book Tar Beach. Unable to go to the beach on vacation, Cassie spends hot summer evenings with her family and neighbors on the rooftop of her apartment building. She fantasizes about leaping from the roof and flying freely over the city. The story, told from the girl’s perspective, is a metaphor for freedom and belonging: “Sleeping on Tar Beach was magical. Lying on the roof in the night, with stars and skyscraper buildings all around me, made me feel rich, like I owned all that I could see.”
SHOSHONE INDIANS – ROCKY MOUNTAINS
ALBERT BIERSTADT AMERICAN, 1830-1902 SHOSHONE INDIANS – ROCKY MOUNTAINS OIL AND GOUACHE ON PAPER MOUNTED ON BOARD, 1859 GIFT OF SAMUEL B. AND MARION W. LAWRENCE 1991.9 Albert Bierstadt was a renowned painter of American landscapes and was associated with the Hudson River School, a group of technically astute painters who rendered the American landscape with an emphasis on its natural beauty. The Hudson River painters focused on creating a new American identity that celebrated the country’s distinctive qualities and separated them from European schools of painting. Bierstadt traveled to the American West in addition to painting the east coast. He often made small sketches and then completed the fully realized canvas in his studio. Known for his large scale works, this painting is a small study by the artist. This work’s depiction of American culture is particularly noteworthy. While nineteenth-century American painters occasionally included references to Native Americans, they were of
THE ARCTIC IS PARIS
[A film by Mel Chin](https://www.thearcticis.org/)
BURIAL STELE WITH BANQUETING SCENE
UNKNOWN GREEK BURIAL STELE WITH BANQUETING SCENE LIMESTONE, 2ND – 3RD CENTURY AD GIFT OF ELLA POWERS 1933.8
WE THE PEOPLE (DETAIL)
DANH VŌ DANISH, B. 1975WE THE PEOPLE (DETAIL) COPPER, 2011THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART AT ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND2018.1.19Vietnamese-born Danish conceptual artist, Danh Vō, ruminates on themes of cultural identity and community. This work is a part of the series We The People in which the artist recreated a full-scale copper replica, in 250 pieces, of Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi’s (1834-1904) iconic The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World. A symbol of freedom, the monument in its early years welcomed immigrants on ships arriving at Ellis Island to America, and it still today deeply resonates with audiences. Like many who encounter the statue for the first time, the artist saw a strong, imposing monument, but with a closer look was struck by the delicate, thin, hollow structure. The various pieces that make this series, including this part of Liberty’s garment, exist in collections throughout the world, never to be brought together to reconstruct the monument in its entirety. The fragments of We The People both physically and conceptually symbolize the fragility of freedom.
SUGARCOATED REVOLUTION
MARCUS JANSEN AMERICAN, B. 196SUGARCOATED REVOLUTION OIL ENAMELS AND MIXED MEDIA COLLAGE ON CANVAS, 2014ON LOAN FROM THE JUDITH MCLAUGHLIN AND ROBERT CORMIER HAMMOND HOUSE COLLECTIONThe complex visual politics of this image reference Eugène Delacroix’s famous painting Liberty Leading the People. Created in 1830, Delacroix’s painting celebrates the July Revolution (also known as the Second French Revolution), which resulted in the overthrow of King Charles X of France. In this work, Jansen depicts the female personification of liberty from Delacroix’s painting, as the only character in a tumultuous landscape. She carries the American flag instead of the French emblem, and in her left hand, the musket from the original image has been replaced by a pink Kalashnikov rifle. A canonical work in the history of European art, Liberty Leading the People is reinterpreted and imbued with American symbolism perhaps as an invitation to rethink the meaning of the American dreamand the origins
WE ON
DANA HOEY AMERICAN, B. 1966 WE ON DIGITAL PRINT, 2016THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART AT ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND2017.6.2Dana Hoey, a feminist artist working in photography, performance, video, and social practice, first gained recognition for her ambiguous narrative photographs that defied stereotypical portrayals of women. She examines the social roles and relationships of women, and frequently features fighters in her work to challenge societal assumptions; fighting is usually associated with displays of aggression and masculinity. Through the language of fighting, Hoey examines female behavior and questions, “What if women fought openly? What would that do for our place in the world?” As the focus of this charged composition with her eyes bruised, direct gaze, and fists pointed towards the viewer, Hoey’s pose recalls the method of response in fighting. Her gesture symbolizes the artist’s response to the United States presidential election results of November 8, 2016. Here, she investigates female power in politics.
NATIONAL ANTHEM (WASHINGTON REDSKINS)
KOTA EZAWA GERMAN, B. 1969NATIONAL ANTHEM (WASHINGTON REDSKINS) DURATRANS TRANSPARENCY AND LIGHTBOX, 2019THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART, AT, ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND2019.2.20Washington Redskins football players Samaje Perine (32), Terrelle Pryor (11), Kirk Cousins (8), Vernon Davis (85), and Jeremy Sprinkle (87) linked arms in protest during the national anthem before their game against the Oakland Raiders on September 24, 2017. Oakland resident and artist, Kota Ezawa, created this work as part of a series in response to the national anthem protests of the National Football League (NFL). The protests, originally initiated by the San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, stood against racial inequality in the United States. The weekend of the protest pictured here, all the NFL teams protested in direct response to President Trump’s tweets that any protester should be fired, and the acts were unpatriotic. In turn, the artist sees these protests as an unusual act of patriotism stating, “if you stage a protest on such a large platform in front of millions of people, it can only mean you care about the place or the country that you’re supposed to represent in this moment.”
Art Encounters: Community or Chaos
In 1967, a year before he was assassinated, Dr. Martin Luther King published his last book, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? In the text, Dr. King reflects on the social and political changes brought about by the Civil Rights movement and ponders how these could shape the future of American society. Today, more than fifty years later, we continue to revisit the meaning of the choices presented, chaos or community. Amidst recent worldwide protests against racial discrimination and police brutality sparked by the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man, at the hands of police ofcers in Minneapolis this past May, the works on view in this exhibition take on renewed meaning and urgency. In the last decade we have seen violence against African American men and women; the killings of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many others, demand that as a society we reexamine race relations. This moment asks us to reconsider our role in society, acknowledge the hard work we need to do, and do it together, to effect just and positive change.Art Encounters: Community or Chaos presents a selection of works from CFAM’s collection by artists Hank Willis Thomas, Patrick Martinez, Sam Durant, Kota Ezawa, Pedro Reyes, and Andrea Bowers, whose practices are deeply informed by current and historical socio-political events. Flanked by Reyes’ The Protestors and Bowers’ Community of Chaos, the works on view reinforce the power of language and visual gestures to protest and denounce injustice through statements that resonate with our current context while grounded in impactful historical moments.Together, with our campus and our community, we affirm the need to acknowledge those who have been invisible, silenced, overlooked, and killed because of their ethnic background or the color of their skin, and vow to create a space for meaningful dialogue, listening, inclusion, representation and participation.
RESISTANCE AND WAR GAMES
MARCUS JANSEN AMERICAN, B. 1968 RESISTANCE AND WAR GAMES OIL ENAMELS AND MIXED MEDIA COLLAGE ON CANVAS, 2015EXPRESSIVE CULTURE LLCJansen’s artistic practice is informed by diverse sources: graffiti art and the urban environment in New York, his experience growing up in Moenchengladbach, Germany, and the devastated sites he witnessed while serving in the US Armed Forces in various regions of the world. In this painting, partially destroyed buildings and the detritus of everyday life function as a tableau in which several ghostly figures appear as if frozen in time. References to childhood suggest the loss of innocence and the disruption of family life caused by warfare. Perhaps Baghdad or Aleppo, the scene is a sobering reminder of the destructive nature of war and its long-lasting effects. To the left of the composition, the image of a cat is accompanied by a message for future generations: “Wash our hands off the powerful; side with the powerless.”
OBSCURE LINE BETWEEN FACT OR FICTION
MARCUS JANSEN AMERICAN, B. 1968OBSCURE LINE BETWEEN FACT OR FICTION OIL ENAMELS AND MIXED MEDIA COLLAGE ON CANVAS, 2010EXPRESSIVE CULTURE LLCIn a desolate and chaotic landscape, a solitary figure contemplates a dilapidated structure that shows signs of the passage of time, and of a tragic event that resulted in destruction. The playful presence of a pink deer and a blue butterfly on either side of the ruinous building offers a glimmer of hope, while a beam of light pierces the night sky to reveal bright, clear daylight. By juxtaposing seemingly incongruous elements in this work, Jansen transports us to an imagined place. The title of the painting suggests that the distinction between what is perceived as reality and its distortion may not always be clear. At a time when news networks and social media platforms inundate viewers with images, information, and alternative facts, this dichotomy has become a key part of everyday life.
COMMUNITY OR CHAOS
ANDREA BOWERS AMERICAN, B. 1965COMMUNITY OR CHAOS ALUMINUM, CARDBOARD, PAINT AND NEON, 2017THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART, AT, ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND2017.6.28
Precision Bombing
George L. K. Morris American, 1905–1975 Precision Bombing Oil on canvas, 1944 The Alfond Collection of Art at Rollins College, Gift of Barbara ‘68 and Theodore ‘68 Alfond 2017.15.4 George L. K. Morris was a founding member of the American Abstract Artists as well as the Park Avenue Cubists, two important groups of artists committed to abstract vocabularies. Their formation marks a turning point in American art as artists working in the US became increasingly drawn to abstraction. During World War II, Morris was employed as a draftsman for a Naval architect. His precise and methodical approach honed in the Navy is visible in his work. In this composition, the artist depicts the mechanical components that allow bomber airplanes to be transformed into destructive machines of war. The thick black lines dividing the canvas draw the eye to the center, where simplified white shapes represent bombs. Encircling the center of the canvas, red and brown shapes appear, some with recognizable numbers, some less identifiable. When viewed with the central forms, the repetitive lines and shapes in Morris’s work lend a frantic energy to the composition.
COUNTING
LORNA SIMPSON AMERICAN, B. 1960 COUNTING PHOTOGRAVURE WITH SCREEN PRINTMUSEUM PURCHASED FROM THE ANNIVERSARY ACQUISITION FUND1998.10Lorna Simpson combines photography and text to create works that address definitions of race, gender, and identity in unorthodox ways. Rooted in early interests in poetry and literature, her pairing of image with caption speaks to an interest in disrupting traditionally prescribed readings of portrait photography and the artifice of its production. With portraits, there is a desire to tell a story about a specific individual, using the environment and details of their appearance to support that narrative. Simpson’s intentional fragmenting of the human figure omits the subject’s identity and presents the opportunity for viewers to question their understanding of representation whilst creating a space and place for the subject of their own imagining. In Counting, images of a woman’s neck and clavicle, a brick smokehouse once used to house slaves, and a coiled hair braid lay an evocative narrative foundation. Enumerations surround the images—a continuous time schedule, a count of 1,575 bricks, the temporality of 310 years, and the number of twists, braids and locks involved in the roping of coiled strands. While the composition elicits a commentary on African American cultural memory and experience, it simultaneously evades any concrete interpretation, pushing the boundaries of how we engage the visibility of race and gender and the medium of photography itself.
SELF PORTRAIT
MARCUS JANSE AMERICAN, SELF PORTRAIT OIL ENAMELS, MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS, 2015ON LOAN FROM JAMES SCARMOZZINO Jansen’s experience in the military is closely linked to his artistic practice: “Warfare, whether military, economic or psychological, is a means to exercise power, and exists within humanity all the time without our being fully aware of it. Painting was always a visual, mental and intellectual combat to me, an exercise that could lead to closure. I’d say my war experience most certainly influenced me as a young man of 21. I came back with a hyper-alertness to my surroundings, and I believe these experiences have everything to do with the perception, outlook, concern and political criticism in my work. It was thanks to art therapy during a program in 1993 that I found ways of using art as a positive tool to express feelings, something quite contrary to our military culture.”
LOUVRE
CARRIE MAE WEEMS AMERICAN, B. 1953 LOUVRE DIGITAL C-PRINT, 2006THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART AT ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND2014.1.24Over the course of her expansive career, Carrie Mae Weems examines power structures, identity, race, class, and gender in a variety of mediums. This work is part of her Museum Series in which the artist poses herself in front of distinguished, historically charged sites. Weems notes, “Maybe because of my experience in theater, I had a great sense of how to use my body, not as Carrie, but to stand in for more than myself, for a black female subjectivity and subject, who was thinking and acting according to her own will.” Here, her back faces the camera and her figure is dwarfed in comparison to the monumental, imposing façade of the Louvre in Paris. She stands confronting these cultural institutions, infamous for maintaining racial and gendered inequalities in the art world, to inspire social change.
NOAH LEADING ANIMALS IN THE ARK
ATTRIBUTED TO GEROLAMO BASSANO ITALIAN, 1566-1621NOAH LEADING ANIMALS IN THE ARK OIL ON CANVAS, CA. 1595GIFT OF MARJORIE MYERS GINN, FRANCIS E. MYERS II, JOHN C. MYERS, JR., ‘42, AND EVERETT M. MYERS IN MEMORY OF JOHN C. MYERS, SR.1957.4
GRETA THUNBERG, STOCKHOLM
HELLEN VAN MEENE DUTCH, B. 1972 GRETA THUNBERG, STOCKHOLM CHROMOGENIC PRINT, 2019THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART AT ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND 2019.2.21 Rooted in reality yet ethereal, intimate, and psychological, the staged portraits of adolescent girls are typical of photographer, Hellen van Meene’s oeuvre. TIME commissioned van Meene to photograph Greta Thunberg, the climate change activist, during one of Thunberg’s school strikes in late April for the cover of their May 27th edition in 2019. Now named in TIME’s “100: The World’s Most Influential People” and in their Next Generation Leaders, Thunberg’s influence reaches new heights. “Thinking about Greta, I wanted this photo to be different, because her story is bigger than life,” van Meene shared. She photographed Thunberg in a stark, shadowy, desolate concrete corridor in Stockholm’s Old Town of Gamla Stan near Swedish Parliament. Thunberg fashioned here in a green dress selected by the photographer to symbolize “life,” contrasts her bleak surroundings that represent the possible future of her generation if the world does not take action. The artist adds, “We shouldn’t see Greta as a young cute thing; she’s a serious girl with a serious message.”
ROMARE BEARDEN AMERICAN, 1911 – 1988MISSISSIPPI MONDAY (FROM THE SERIES RITUAL BAYOU) LITHOGRAPH COLLAGE, 1971GIFT OF MR. AND MRS. ROBERT L. GARDNER 1983.34.3ROMARE BEARDEN AMERICAN, 1911 – 1988 MEMORIES (FROM THE SERIES RITUAL BAYOU) LITHOGRAPH COLLAGE, 1971GIFT OF MR. AND MRS. ROBERT L. GARDNER 1983.34.4Romare Bearden did not adopt his signature style until he was in his 50s, prompted by his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement and other activism. His densely-layered collages combine found images, text, paint, and varnish to reflect the realities—positive and negative—of Black life in the United States. In the 1970s he became increasingly interested in printmaking, viewing it as a way to continue to expand his aesthetic horizons while also making his work available for middle-class audiences. These four prints— part of the six-print Ritual Bayou series—are adapted from paintings of similar subjects. In them, Bearden evokes Black life in the South, in particular the strength of African American women and the lush richness of the landscape. They also demonstrate his close study of art history, combining techniques and motifs from Cubism, European Old Masters, and Byzantine mosaics.
SHEPHERD
FICRE GHEBREYESUS AMERICAN, 1962-2012 SHEPHERD ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, CA. 2002-07THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART AT ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND2020.1.3Ficre Ghebreyesus’ explorative, abstracted works reflect aspects of his global experience and personal narrative. He left his home of Eritrea as a political refugee from the Independence War (1961-1991), and lived in Sudan, Italy, and Germany, before he settled in the United States. He studied painting at the Art Students’ League and printmaking at Bob Blackburn Printmaking Workshop before earning his MFA from Yale University. Although Ghebreyesus created a significant body of work, he seldom exhibited his work during his lifetime. His paintings, often dreamlike, full of rich jewel-toned colors, patterns, and textures, elicit storytelling. This work, typical of his style, features a whimsical landscape with a shepherd in the middle-ground herding a diverse group of animals towards the foregrou
LA AUTOPISTA DEL SUR (THE SOUTHERN HIGHWAY)
RAFAEL TRELLES PUERTO RICAN, b. 1957 LA AUTOPISTA DEL SUR (THE SOUTHERN HIGHWAY) OIL AND ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 2011 MUSEUM PURCHASE FROM THE MICHEL ROUX ACQUISITION FUND 2019.8 Born and raised in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Rafael Trelles creates works characterized by the exploration of profound subject matter and by an unparalleled handling of the pictorial medium. In this painting, a white shirt floats above a crowded highway, filled with endless rows of cars stuck in a traffic jam below. A metaphor for the plight of contemporary humankind, the empty shirt functions as a visual representation of solitude as it drifts over the chaos. Inspired by Julio Cortázar’s (1914-1984) short story La autopista del sur, first published in 1964, Trelles’ austere painting contemplates social relations in times of crisis. Here, the soft and airy fabric of the shirt contrasts with the hard geometry of the stationary cars which, like in the story, are trapped in a months-long gridlock. By divi
SARCOPHAGUS (DEPICTING THE RAPE OF THE SABINES)
ROMAN SARCOPHAGUS (DEPICTING THE RAPE OF THE SABINES) MARBLE, 2ND CENTURYON LOAN FROM THE WHITE FAMILY, DR. F. ASHLEY WHITE, DR. MICHELE C. WHITE, AND ETHAN A. WHITE. LTL2013.1A sarcophagus, meaning “flesh-eater” in Greek, is a type of coffin widely used throughout the Roman Empire beginning in the 2nd century A.D. Those made of ornately carved marble were commissioned for wealthy citizens. Popular subject-matter for the carved reliefs included mythological scenes and narratives from the life of the deceased. This sarcophagus depicts the myth of the Rape of the Sabine women who were abducted by the founders of Rome in order to have children and establish the ancient city. As a result of their unions, the Sabine women are considered the mothers of the first Romans. Here, sixteen figures appear in a violent struggle in front of an ionic temple dedicated to Quirinius, a Sabine cult god of war. On the right end, a shield, quiver, and spear are depicted, while on the left a shield, sword, belt, and scabbard are represented.
THEN THEY CAME FOR ME
PATRICK MARTINEZ AMERICAN, B. 1980 THEN THEY CAME FOR ME NEON, 2016GIFT OF SUSAN AND BOB BATTAGLIA AND MARGIE PABST STEINMETZ AND CHUCK STEINMETZ 2017.7 Born in 1980, Martínez lives and works in Los Angeles, California; from an early age he became interested in Hip Hop culture and graffiti. The artist works in a variety of media and his neon pieces transform texts that reflect hard realities and truths. The phrase presented here reminds us of the fragility of personal security and of a just society. While this phrase is steeped in history, it resonates today. This statement is attributed to the Protestant pastor Martin Niemöller, who spoke out against Germans who were complicit in the rise of Nazi power and the horrors experienced by Jews, and other communities during World War II. Variations of the original quote exist as Niemöller’s expression was spoken as opposed to written. Here is one version: First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak for me.
WEAPON OF FREEDOM
MELVIN EDWARDS AMERICAN, B. 1937 WEAPON OF FREEDOM WELDED STEEL, 1986 THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART AT ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND 2014.1.58Melvin Edwards’s signature approach to abstraction consists of welding metal together; he is most recognized for his Lynched Fragments series. His works from this series incorporate found objects such as nails, axes, and scissors. Most of his sculptures echo social and political events, particularly those linked to the black experience. His works have been inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, protests against the Vietnam War, and his travel abroad. Edwards’s art reflects a black consciousness that recognizes the widespread impact of the African Diaspora. Although small, this piece incorporates plenty of emotion, while inviting the viewer’s own interpretation. The title of the work appears on the side of the piece and a small area of dramatic red paint conjures thoughts of human blood, violence, and suffering.
PROTESTOR I-IV
PEDRO REYES MEXICAN, B. 1972PROTESTOR I-IV STEEL AND CONCRETE, 2016-17THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART, AT, ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND2017.6.36-39In this powerful series of sculptures, Mexican artist Pedro Reyes revels in the strength of protest as a revolutionary force. Reyes explores social and political issues through playful works of art and collaborative projects with artists, scholars, and members of the community; he values both the individual and collective strength needed to create change. This work was first exhibited as part of a series that featured abstracted sculptures and drawings of literary figures like Homer and Sophocles, elevating protesters to historical stature. Alone, each protester is striking; but brought together the series displays forms of protest that engage both the visual and auditory senses. The geometric treatment of the body evokes the Cycladic figurines of the Neolithic period and the lack of individual features underscores the collective characteristic of public protest.
THE LITTLE EMPEROR
MARCUS JANSEN AMERICAN, B. 1968 THE LITTLE EMPEROR OIL ENAMELS ON CANVAS, 2013LENT BY RENATE & THOMAS LIST Part of Jansen’s ongoing Faceless series, this work combines popular culture tropes and references to political authority. Dressed in uniform, the figure in this painting evokes those in historical portraits of military and political officials. His identity is hidden from the viewer and his face has been replaced by a bright yellow shape reminiscent of the iconic image of Mickey Mouse. Here, Jansen brings together two seemingly unrelated worlds to question the power structures and dynamics that rule them. Playful and ironic, the work examines the intersection of political power, consumerism, and economic hierarchies. In Jansen’s words: “I was interested in economic power structures that are interconnected to today’s 21st century landscapes.” With his incomplete and stained uniform, the once respectable emperor has become a sort of hybrid figure who is no longer honorable and w
ROMARE BEARDEN AMERICAN, 1911 – 1988 RITUAL BAYOU (FROM THE SERIES RITUAL BAYOU) LITHOGRAPH COLLAGE, 1971 GIFT OF MR. AND MRS. ROBERT L. GARDNER 1983.34.1ROMARE BEARDEN AMERICAN, 1911 – 1988 BYZANTINE FRIEZE (FROM THE SERIES RITUAL BAYOU) LITHOGRAPH COLLAGE, 1971 GIFT OF MR. AND MRS. ROBERT L. GARDNER 1983.34.2
ART IS THE NEW FOUNDING FATHER
MARCUS JANSEN AMERICAN, B. 1968ART IS THE NEW FOUNDING FATHER OIL ENAMELS AND MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS, 2015ON LOAN FROM MARK GYETVAY This work is part of Jansen’s Faceless series, which he started in the context of the Great Recession of 2008 and developed over several years. The composition follows the basic conventions of historical portraiture. However, Jansen paints over the figure’s face, distorting it and concealing the character’s identity. In the dark background, the letters on either side of the figure spell the word sold and on the table in the foreground the word Art fills up the space. For the artist, structures of power manifest not only in politics, in the disparities of social class and race relations, but also in the art world. The image is perhaps an indictment on the hierarchical structures of the art market, and the forces that define and dictate the commodification of artistic creation.
SEBENZILE (PARKTOWN)
ZANELE MUHOLI SOUTH AFRICAN, B. 1972 SEBENZILE (PARKTOWN) GELATIN SILVER PRINT, 2016 KWANELE (PARKTOWN) GELATIN SILVER PRINT, 2016 THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART AT ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND2017.6.33, 2017.6.32Visual activist, Zanele Muholi, grew up in apartheid-enforced townships in South Africa during which police and apartheid administrators utilized photography to surveil and identify individuals. Those photographs dominate the era’s visual history and offer a controlled and limited scope of what it meant to be black in South Africa. Muholi uses photography to confront history, the medium, and the constrained social structures of the present; particularly focusing on gender, race, and class distinctions. Since 2012, Muholi’s ongoing series Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness, now comprised of more than 90 self-portraits in photography, challenges the past, explores new narratives, and archives images of black beauty in our visual history. Muholi noted, “My point is that black people should question this idea themselves: Because I can’t subscribe to this, and I don’t belong to this, I am just going to do my own thing, where only I define me.” Sebenzile, “a hard worker” or “worked,” employs household materials to represent labor in the domestic sphere, often unrecognized and seen as expendable. Kwanele, “it’s enough,” ruminates on the experience of being racially profiled at the airport. The plastic material that typically covers suitcases encompasses the artist’s face and symbolizes the emotions of both needing protection and feeling exposed. The artist’s direct gaze engages the viewer in these intimate, emotional scenes that are simultaneously personal and political.
CONSIDER LISTENING / EVERYONE DESERVES A DREAM
SAM DURANT AMERICAN, B. 1961 CONSIDER LISTENING SCREENPRINT ON TRANSLUCENT FILM, LIGHT BOX, 2018 EVERYONE DESERVES A DREAM SCREENPRINT ON TRANSLUCENT FILM, LIGHT BOX, 2018THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART, AT, ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND2018.1.17, 2018.1.16Cultural and socio-political issues are a key source for multi-media artist Sam Durant. His work investigates history, particularly the verbal and visual expressions articulated in the context of marches and protests worldwide. The artist’s light boxes feature protest slogans, which are removed from their context and reformulated as colorful, bright signage. This format, often reserved for commercial advertisement, functions here as a subversive display that invites the viewer to question history and reevaluate his or her position in regards to current events. The pieces displayed here convey statements that may be interpreted in a multiplicity of ways and speak to the power of language in communicating powerful messages that provide avenues for reinterpretation and dialogue.
MY BELOVED
SHIRIN NESHAT AMERICAN AND IRANIAN, B. 1957 MY BELOVED SILVER AND GELATIN PRINT AND INK, ED. 1 OF 3 + 1AP, 1995THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART AT ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND2015.1.49Through her practice in photography and film, Neshat explores identity and globalism with special focus on themes of social oppression, individuality, and freedom. She was born in Iran and lived there until she moved to the United States for her education in 1974. Neshat returned to Iran in 1990 for the first time since the Islamic Revolution and was shocked by the transformed cultural landscape. In direct reaction to her experience, the artist began her Women of Allah series when she returned to the US. The series presents self-portraits of the artist and her son, and works to concurrently deconstruct and rebuild images of women from the Middle East. Here, Neshat and her son are wrapped in a white chador with Farsi text written around her face like a halo, posed next to a Remington rifle. The symbols of the composition are nuanced and elicit paradoxes like traditional and modern, autonomy and submission, and violence and protection.
Marcus Jansen E Pluribus Unum
Intro
OUT ON THE LAKE
GRANDMA MOSES AMERICAN, 1860-1961 OUT ON THE LAKE OIL ON MASONITE, 1945GIFT OF THE ARTIST 1948.26 Anna Mary Robertson, popularly known as Grandma Moses, did not begin her career as an artist until the 1930s, when she was in her late 70s. Her paintings were referred to as the antithesis of avant-garde abstraction, particularly with regards to the placid, idyllic spaces she portrayed. She often depicted peaceful scenes form everyday farm and country life while leaving out modernized details like telephone poles or tractors. This approach led to a sense of timelessness and tranquility in her landscapes. Out on the Lake is no different, depicting a young child rowing down a calm river while cows graze on its banks. This scene seems familiar and comforting, aided by its traditional, unpretentious qualities. The artist once stated, “I look out the window sometimes to seek the color of the shadows and the different greens in the tree, but when I get ready to paint I just close my eyes and i
MADONNA ENTHRONED NURSING THE CHRIST CHILD
COSIMO ROSSELLI ITALIAN, 1439-1507MADONNA ENTHRONED NURSING THE CHRIST CHILD TEMPERA AND GILDING ON POPULAR WOOD PANEL, CA. 1470GIFT OF THE SAMUEL H. KRESS FOUNDATION 1937.02 This altarpiece is by Cosimo Rosselli, a Florentine artist best known for his participation in painting the walls of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The Virgin is portrayed here as the Queen of Heaven, majestically seated on a throne and wearing a blue mantle (though original pigments have tarnished to almost black over time). The characteristic blue and red of her garments symbolize Mary’s purity and sorrow. The figure’s outward gaze and melancholic expression suggest her awareness of her child’s destiny. This somber reality would have resonated with the Renaissance viewer who would have experienced this painting as a personal devotional object in a small chapel in a home or church. By examining the subjects and iconography of extant altar panels, viewers today may gain better insight into how Renaissance beholders understood the work in its original context.
A PRAYER FOR OBAMA
MARÍA MAGDALENA CAMPOS-PONS CUBAN, B. 1959 A PRAYER FOR OBAMA PIGMENTED ULTRACHROME K3 INK PRINTS, 2008-14THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART AT ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND2015.1.3Conceptual artist, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, works in a variety of mediums—photography, painting, installation, film, and performance—to create layered works inspired by personal and cultural memories. She states, “My subjects are often my Afro-Cuban relatives as well as myself. My themes are cross cultural, and cross generational; race and gender expressed in symbols of matriarchy and maternity are thematic ideas.” Here, history, memory, and the present converge to record the artist’s experience the day Barack Obama first won the 2008 presidential election. Through this series of photographs, she recalls Santería traditions, a religious practice she finds intrinsically tied to the traditions of oppressed people, and engages in a ritual to protect Barack Obama. Her gestures are expressive and intentional. In the center panel, her devotional pose cradles a puppet of Obama in her hands and instills feelings of hope.
I AM THE GREATEST
HANK WILLIS THOMAS AMERICAN, B. 1976 I AM THE GREATEST MIXED MEDIA, 2019THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART, AT, ROLLINS COLLEGE, GIFT OF BARBARA ’68 AND THEODORE ’68 ALFOND2016.2.18Like much of Thomas’s work, I am the Greatest addresses themes of identity, popular culture, and social justice. This work is an enlarged reproduction of a pin-back button released in the 1970s. Pin-back buttons were used throughout the twentieth century as a means of galvanizing support for social movements through both financial support in the purchase of buttons, and the physical action of identifying oneself as a member of a movement. The original “I am the Greatest” button relates to Muhammad Ali, who took center stage in the realms of sports, popular culture, and political activism. In fact, Ali once stated, “I’m not the greatest. I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ‘em out, I pick the round. I’m the boldest, the prettiest, the most superior, most scientific, most skillfullest fighter in the ring today.” Ali’s words, now immortalized in Thomas’s work, boldly challenge white supremacy by claiming one’s humanity, worth, and greatness in the public sphere.
PHONE INFILTRATIONS #5
MARCUS JANSEN AMERICAN, B. 1968 PHONE INFILTRATIONS #5 OIL ENAMELS AND MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS, 2018EXPRESSIVE CULTURE LLC Surveillance, censorship, and the power dynamics involved in their implementation, are recurring themes in Jansen’s work. In this painting, an antique candlestick telephone appears fragmented and disjointed like the vestige of a bygone era. The object references the politically charged history of wiretapping, which dates to the early 20th century. Jansen was introduced to surveillance drone technology in 1993 while stationed in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), with the 2nd Infantry Division at Camp Casey. Years later, a trip to London, one of the most monitored cities in the world, renewed his interest in this practice and its impact in democratic societies today. In the adjacent gallery, the monumental painting Wire Tapping examines this issue on a grand scale; it portrays the telephone as a towering structure in whose presence humans are reduced to powerless, minuscule figures.
