Conceptual artist Gary Simmons is primarily focused on how our collective understanding of race is impacted by the images we see in popular culture.
“A lot of the work that I do can be challenging from time to time. Some of it is not easy to swallow,” says Simmons.
'Gary Simmons: Public Enemy' features 70 pieces that all focus on deep social issues like race, class and gender identity. Rene Morales, the exhibition co-curator, says, “This question of history itself couldn’t be more important, because, based on what we understand about our history very much determines where we are going in terms of our future.”
One installation, called ‘Step into the Arena’, is a mini-boxing ring with several pairs of shoes dangling from the surrounding ropes.
If you were to imagine who might be fighting in this ring, Morales explains, “It’s at that moment of conjuring an image that a lot of our prejudices, a lot of stereotypes about different types of people in our society come into play."
The floor of the ring is covered with a dance diagram.
Co-curator Jadine Collingwood says, “This is a dance that was initially performed by enslaved people and really was meant to be a parody of their enslavers.”
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Simmons is perhaps best known for his ghostly chalk drawings and elusively painted images.
“Gary’s work is really about erasure and really thinking about what it means to both erase a stereotype, the inability to do so, and the risk of forgetting,” says Collingwood.
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Simmons says one of his favorite sculptures is called, ‘Recapturing Memories of the Black Ark’ a participatory artwork and installation inspired by the recording studio of legendary Jamaican record producer Lee “Scratch” Perry.
The installation is built from materials recovered from the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The sculpture serves as an open platform for conversation, music, and performance where local performers, artists, and community members can stage programs.
“It’s a surprise every time that system gets turned on," says Simmons. “It’s a surprise every time that system gets turned on, says Simmons. It is being used for several events as part of the outreach programming the MCA is hosting in conjunction with the museum show.
