Wow - so someone has gone to great lengths to deface my #rhodesmustfall artwork in Abingdon! Looks like it hit a nerve. Sometimes I like to believe that action doesn’t happen because people are lazy or don’t care enough but then something like this happens and reminds me that we need to keep pushing and starting conversations. Is this person destructive or having a conversation with me?
When Aissa wrote her article on why it must come down, I wanted to create an image to go with it that could be used in protest. I felt it needed a strong brand, and I could use my art to support a cause I cared about, and so uploaded the image to Wikipedia. The question of whether art should be involved in politics didn’t even cross my mind. It already IS involved.
Isn’t the statue also a work of art too?
Isn’t IT also political?
Anyway, before making any assumptions on whether the statue should or shouldn’t go - please go read Aissa’s article.
And let me know what you think of the ‘defacing’.
Note: the pen was scrubbed off and so no permanent damage I think…
https://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/research/aissa-discovers-all-rhodes-lead-oxford
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