Gallery Guichard’s latest exhibit deals with race in a very “in your face” manner. The surprise of this exhibit, titled “Confronting Truths: Wake Up!” is that the artist is a Caucasian woman from the Deep South — New Orleans. Ti-Rock Moore created 50 pieces for the exhibit, including a life-size replica of Michael Brown’s body lying face-down, cordoned-off by yellow tape. Moore’s work is definitely going to have people talking. But isn’t that a part of what art is supposed to do?
How did a Caucasian woman from the South get involved in exploring racism?
I live in the South, and the vehemence and racism are very palpable here. I have always been aware of racism in this country, I grew up during the civil rights era, and my parents were liberal and taught me what they believed.
But your key word, “exploring,”, beautiful, what I call educating myself. You see the beauty of that word is the key, because I have always been the same person, but I knew nothing!! Then — 10 years ago — Katrina!!
In New Orleans, we are all connected. I have always known that and felt that. But I didn’t realize just how bonded we were, until I watched this city flood on TV. I watched my fellow New Orleanians abandoned, thirsty, hungry, desperate and dying, and heard the media lying about shootings, and sniping and raping, and I’m going to tell you, something picked me up and shook me to the depths of my soul. What I knew then, as I know now, is that if that had been a bunch a White folk, things just would not have gone down the same way!!!!!!!
And I knew I had to educate myself, I had to learn, and I had to understand what was happening. I have studied four to five hours every day since then. I study Black history, current events. I study the 400 years of oppression endured by people of color in this country, and the dehumanization that has resulted in a broken system built on White supremacy. So as with some of my art, it was abject imagery that woke me up!
How do you define White privilege?
I was born with unearned advantages. These unearned advantages — White privilege -— are no doubt direct remnants of slavery. White privilege still exists because of denial. White privilege controls America’s heartbeat, and our nation’s collective loss of memory and our historical amnesia is to blame. This is the great moral issue of our time.
You point out that racism is ingrained in the fabric of America.
Human cruelty in this country is rooted in the entitlement of White men in power. This is because of the very complex set of systems, regulations, and institutions fixed to keep the white man in control. Racism is engrained in the institutional mechanisms that degrade black life. The control, abuse, and policing of black bodies is foundational to American democracy. It is a structural reality that our institutions thrive on. And ignoring this reality is proving detrimental to our society.
What is your mission as an artist?
My sincerest desire as an artist is to break White denial. I want to redirect the passive thinking of white Americans who engage in debilitating habits of ignoring and denying their own unearned advantages, and who ignore and deny that our country is built on 400 years of oppression and dehumanization.
My mission is only to confront this reality. I am resolved to speak of what many white Americans choose to ignore—and my hope is to create art that brings into collective awareness
such unpleasant truths.
“Confronting Truths: Wake Up!” runs through Aug. 10 at Gallery Guichard 436 E. 47th St., galleryguichard.com
