Krzysztof Wodiczko: Monument
Living refugees of civil war honoured with New York public art project
Monument is a work of public art by Krzysztof Wodiczko (American, b. Poland 1943). The artist collaborated with twelve refugees who have been resettled in the United States; their filmed likenesses and spoken narratives are superimposed on Madison Square Park’s 1881 monument to Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, lauded in his day as a Union naval hero during the Civil War.
With footage of people from Africa, Central America, South Asia, and the Middle East, the bronze monument emerges as a surrogate for refugees whose diverse plights, harrowing journeys, grueling fortitude, and quest for democracy have recently brought them to America.
“Speaking from the monumental pedestal, by telling the truth of their unspeakable civil war experience, the refugees wish to contribute with their public voice to the ending of civil wars, as well as to a closer understanding of the refugees’ lives and of the help they desperately need,” Wodiczko says.
On view January 16 through to May 10, 2020, and running from 5 to 8 PM Monday to Saturday, the installation is complemented by a series of public programmes, lectures, and events that expand upon the concepts explored within the work.
