This is Bullsh*t

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This is Bullsh*t is centered on the implications of an art-historical tradition that continues to subvert ethnic groups, excluding these from the discourse of power at a global level. Much of the Western Canon of Art revolves around the Classical antiquity ideals, presenting a whiteness through both the artistic genius and his subject(s).

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In referring to white, we are referring to the abstract ideals behind light skin, not to light-skinned individuals. In mixing excrement with white paint, and then using it for the areas of skin within the replicas below, a smelly metaphor questions the racial connotations behind pigment, and/or a lack of it. In importing the materials from Italy, a parallel is drawn to these ideals which were also brought over from the Old World, and which shaped history following the era of Colonization.

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In order to begin to approach the issue of race we must revisit our history, revisit the works that have been presented to us as the epitome of artistic merit, of artistic genius. The Mona Lisa (Leonardo DaVinci) and the Madonna del Prato (Raphael Sanzio) were therefore chosen for their renown. In turn, we must consider how a racialized identity is internalized by those who are not reflected within the canon. Race and its connotations are, after all, only bullsh*t.