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Emily Eisenstein, New Monuments, Week 4

All of these sculptures are very aware of their surroundings. They wouldn't have the impact that they do if they were placed in another city- or even another street. These artists displayed the true backbone of the societies that they reside in.

Dan Medina's sculpture "The Bracero Monument" is on display in LA which has a large history of underpaying and over working migrant workers. "Fons Americanus" by Kara Walker, which is being shown at the Tate Modern in London, speaks about the monuments that can be seen throughout Europe and asks people to remember where those monuments came from. Walker, talking about the grand colonial palaces she has seen in Europe, says "..It really is very jarring when you think about what that’s built on the backs of.” She want's you to think about what is really being shown when you see a statue of previously inhabited lands being "conquered" by someone with the status to say that they were there first.

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