Stolen Land, 2023.
is an ongoing performance and installation done on the 4th of July, 2023, in Richmond, Virginia. The first performance took place at Dogwood Dell, the annual gathering point for one of Richmond’s most popular fireworks shows. As spectators trickled in and claimed their spots on the lawn in the early parts of the evening, Christina Sadovnikov and I arranged a collection of miniature American flags to read ‘Stolen Land.’ For 2024, I chose Monument Avenue, aka the Avenue of the Confederacy in an area known for it’s large Southern estates and affluent community. Needless to say, the flags were taken down by anonymous locals within an hour.
The piece was meant to acknowledge the original stewards of the land (Pamunkey, Monacan, and Chickahominy), and the plundering they went through at the hands of white colonists. The phrase Stolen Land was an effort to bring light to the relativity of terms like ‘independence’ and ‘freedom.’ Two words/ideas that the American flag is often synonymous with and are frequently splayed across home and lawn decor for the holiday.
Furthermore, the staked flags themselves hark back to moments in history such as the land rushes started by President Benjamin Harrison when ‘boomers’ were encouraged to ‘stake their claim’ of the land that was usurped by the government from the Cherokee Nation.
The performance, hidden under the guise of patriotism, was left on display throughout the night for spectators to view and reflect on.
Filed Under: Public Art, Sculpture, Place-Based, Monuments, Public Memory, Ready-Made.
is an ongoing performance and installation done on the 4th of July, 2023, in Richmond, Virginia. The first performance took place at Dogwood Dell, the annual gathering point for one of Richmond’s most popular fireworks shows. As spectators trickled in and claimed their spots on the lawn in the early parts of the evening, Christina Sadovnikov and I arranged a collection of miniature American flags to read ‘Stolen Land.’ For 2024, I chose Monument Avenue, aka the Avenue of the Confederacy in an area known for it’s large Southern estates and affluent community. Needless to say, the flags were taken down by anonymous locals within an hour.
The piece was meant to acknowledge the original stewards of the land (Pamunkey, Monacan, and Chickahominy), and the plundering they went through at the hands of white colonists. The phrase Stolen Land was an effort to bring light to the relativity of terms like ‘independence’ and ‘freedom.’ Two words/ideas that the American flag is often synonymous with and are frequently splayed across home and lawn decor for the holiday.
Furthermore, the staked flags themselves hark back to moments in history such as the land rushes started by President Benjamin Harrison when ‘boomers’ were encouraged to ‘stake their claim’ of the land that was usurped by the government from the Cherokee Nation.
The performance, hidden under the guise of patriotism, was left on display throughout the night for spectators to view and reflect on.
Filed Under: Public Art, Sculpture, Place-Based, Monuments, Public Memory, Ready-Made.