The renowned statue of Stonewall Jackson, a prominent figure of the Civil War era, which was removed from its pedestal in Charlottesville, VA, following the contentious "Unite the Right" rally in 2017, has been repurposed for an art exhibit in Los Angeles.
The statue, which once stood as a symbol of the Civil War's aftermath, has been transformed into an anti-historical art piece by American artist Kara Walker. Known for her silhouette works that "expose the ongoing psychological injury caused by the tragic legacy of slavery," Walker has reassembled the statue into a piece titled Unmanned Drone.
According to The Post Millennial, the art piece is part of an exhibit named "MONUMENTS," which the LA Times describes as an attempt to "topple white supremacy." However, critics argue that the exhibit does not so much challenge white supremacy as it seeks to erase the history of the Civil War's aftermath.
The exhibit features numerous Confederate sculptures that were either removed, vandalized, or torn down during the anti-racism protests that marked the first Trump administration. Some of these statues were forcibly removed, while others were taken down by local legislators' decision.
The Stonewall Jackson monument in Charlottesville is a case in point. The bronze sculpture, crafted by Charles Keck, was a prominent feature in Charlottesville's historic district from 1921 until the city council voted for its removal in February 2017. The council also decided to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
However, both statues remained in place until 2021, during which time they were subjected to vandalism.
The Stonewall Jackson statue was a gift to the city of Charlottesville from a philanthropist in 1921. Upon its removal a century later, the city donated it to The Brick art center in LA. The city's intention in donating Confederate statues was to expose "their history as symbols of white supremacy," according to Via Art, commenting on the gift to The Brick, formerly known as LAXART.
The Brick subsequently handed the statue over to Walker, who disassembled it entirely, creating a piece that bears no resemblance to the original. The Robert E. Lee statue has also been disassembled, with its "remains" spread across a low pedestal.
The LA Times lauds Walker's Unmanned Drone as "a monstrous mutant" and deems the exhibit featuring repurposed Confederate statues as "vitally important." The exhibit is seen as a counter to a small, private exhibit in Denton, NC, called Valor Memorial Park, which houses removed Confederate statues.
Critics argue that the full expulsion of Confederate history has not been achieved due to the relocation of some Confederate statues to private locations.
The LA Times' piece praising the exhibit asserts that "Ghastly homages to white supremacy, often suffused with the anti-democratic demands of Christian nationalism, have been on the treacherous rise for a decade." However, no examples are provided to substantiate this claim.
In contrast, many city centers have erected new statues that honor more recent history and values. Examples include Kehinde Wiley's Rumors of War in Richmond, where Confederate statues once stood, and Thomas J. Price's Grounded in the Stars, a statue of an overweight black woman. Critics argue that the art world does not tolerate deviation from their progressive, leftist ideals.
The "MONUMENTS" exhibit claims to "historicize" the national debate about the public portrayal of American history through monuments. However, it appears to exclude the perspective that it might be acceptable to commemorate the losing side of the American Civil War. Many of these monuments, erected in the early 20th century, were intended to instill pride in a fallen South, ensuring that the descendants of those who lost the war could feel that their history was not forgotten but was an integral part of America's legacy.
The exhibit seems to assert that certain aspects of American history must be eradicated, forgotten, or retold by those who did not experience them. Critics argue that this is a concerted effort to declare that certain parts of American history are too uncomfortable to be remembered as they were perceived at the time by those who lived through them and their aftermath.
Critics argue that a movement that began with the noble intention of remembering all aspects of American historyfrom the brutal days of slavery, Reconstruction, and Jim Crowwith honesty has now determined that the experiences and memories of others should be permanently erased from the historical record.
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