A pair of sizable bronze boots have paused in a Bruges canal, the whereabouts of their operator unfamiliar. The placing bronze sculpture titled Who? by Ivan Argote seems as if an 18th-century statue has been shorn at the knees, inviting speculation about the wearers id.
Argotes operate references the toppling of monuments depicting those with ties to colonialism, found nowadays as memorializing dark legacies of human enslavement, violence, and abuses of power. Belgium has a extensive and brutal colonial history, mostly in Africa. Monuments are scars in our towns and reminiscences, usually telling us of a record of dominations and humiliations, the artist suggests. It is up to us to reclaim the suitable to produce new narratives and heal the wounds of our violent histories.
Who? is component of Triënnale Brugge, which proceeds as a result of September 1. Argote will also current an outside sculpture in the Giardini for the 60th Annual Venice Biennale. Discover much more on the artists website and Instagram.
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