When Art Becomes the Target of Political Violence

If you look closely at the figures in the installation, you will see evidence of damage and “field repairs.”  This installation has been exhibited elsewhere in the U.S. multiple times with only minor damage, mostly weather-related. When the installation was exhibited on a college campus in California in late 2016, however, the figures became the target of their own political violence. Several figures were vandalized or defaced. The political violence even extended into the university's residence halls, with vandals using their own blood to paint swastikas on walls to threaten the university’s LGBTQ community. The installation producers made quick repairs to the figures; the healing of the community took much longer.

Instead of replacing the figures for this installation at UT, we present them as another opportunity to reflect on such acts of vandalism and political animus. For more on the history of the installation, click here.