Laura Anderson Barbata in off the pedestal at Emerson Contemporary

Laura Anderson Barbata, Intervention: Indigo, Bushwick, 2015, Diablos (Sinuhe Padilla). Photo: Rene Cervantes.
Laura Anderson Barbata, Intervention: Indigo, Bushwick, 2015, Diablos (Sinuhe Padilla). Photo: Rene Cervantes.

off the pedestal
August 1 – October 5, 2024
Emerson Contemporary

off the pedestal is a group exhibition in the Media Art Gallery, comprising contemporary artists whose work addresses the national conversation around monuments. This exhibition is part of Emerson Contemporary’s Regarding Monuments: Visualizing Hidden Histories, a multi-year initiative that includes exhibitions centered on monuments, several public art installations, and a technology incubator.

Among the works included in this exhibition is ACT lecturer Laura Anderson Barbata’s Intervention: Indigo.

Barbata’s multidisciplinary performance work Indigo is a call to action in response to the violence and murder of Black persons at the hands of the police. A group of sixteen resplendent characters clad in hand-dyed fabrics, woven details, and ornate stitching, many standing at the height of stilts, powerfully demonstrate the textile art aspect of Barbata’s vision.

Laura Anderson Barbata, Intervention: Indigo, Bushwick, 2015, Diablos. Photo: Rene Cervantes.
Laura Anderson Barbata, Intervention: Indigo, Bushwick, 2015, Diablos (Sinuhe Padilla). Photo: Rene Cervantes.

Intervention: Indigo presents a call to action to serve and protect in response to police violence. The point of departure is the color Indigo, a dye used around the globe that has been associated with protection, wisdom and royalty.  Created in in collaboration with the Brooklyn Jumbies, Chris Walker and Jarana Beat, Indigo was performed first in Brooklyn and again in Mexico City in 2020 in collaboration with muca Roma, Chris Walker, Los Diablos de la Costa de Guerrero Los Rebeldes de El Capricho, Elizabeth Ross, Danza UNAM and Pro-Alterne Teatro.

Curated by Distinguished Curator-in-Residence Leonie Bradbury and Curator of Special Projects Shana Dumont Garr, off the pedestal speaks directly to the national phenomenon of the removal of Confederate and other racist monuments in the wake of the police murder of George Floyd. Although monuments are generally presented as permanent, timeless, and expressive of universal values, this exhibition proposes that public memory could be more effectively addressed and activated through ephemeral expressions.

Artist Reception,Tuesday, September 17, 2024, 5-7pm

Location: Media Art Gallery, 25 Avery Street, Boston, MA.

For the upcoming Artist Talk schedule, please visit the events webpage.

off the pedestal is supported by the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture (MOAC) program “Un-monument | Re-monument | De-monument: Transforming Boston.” It is a city-wide initiative that aims to transform the nation’s commemorative landscape to ensure collective histories are more completely and accurately represented.

off the pedestal is further supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Laura AndersonBarbata, Indigo Intervention: Indigo, 2015/2020, installation view Laura Anderson Barbata: Singing Leaf, Marlborough Gallery, New York. Photo: Olympia Shannon.
Laura Anderson Barbata, Indigo Intervention: Indigo, 2015/2020, installation view Laura Anderson Barbata: Singing Leaf, Marlborough Gallery, New York. Photo: Olympia Shannon.
Laura Anderson Barbata, Indigo Intervention: Indigo, 2015/2020, installation view Laura Anderson Barbata: Singing Leaf, Marlborough Gallery, New York. Photo: Olympia Shannon.
Laura Anderson Barbata, Indigo Intervention: Indigo, Rolling Calf, portrayed by Chris Walker. Photo: Rene Cervantes.
Laura AndersonBarbata, Indigo Intervention: Indigo, 2015. Indigo Queen. Photo: Rene Cervantes.
Laura Anderson Barbata, Barbata Intervention: Indigo, 2015. Indigo King, portrayed by Najja Codrington. Photo: Rene Cervantes.

Related