ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sanford Biggers - Conceptual artist
Sanford Biggers creates art that upends traditional narratives about topics ranging from hip hop to Buddhism to American history.

Why you should listen

An LA native working in NYC, Sanford Biggers creates artworks that integrate film, video, installation, sculpture, drawing, original music and performance. He intentionally complicates issues such as hip hop, Buddhism, politics, identity and art history in order to offer new perspectives and associations for established symbols. Through a multi-disciplinary formal process and a syncretic creative approach, he makes works that are as aesthetically pleasing as they are conceptual.

The significance of Biggers' work within contemporary society has been celebrated through solo exhibitions both nationally and internationally, most recently at the Brooklyn Museum, Sculpture Center and Mass MoCA. He has participated in prestigious residencies and fellowships including: Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany; Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw, Poland; Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, California; ARCUS Project Foundation, Ibaraki, Japan; and the Art in General/ Trafo Gallery Eastern European Exchange in Budapest, Hungary. He has been a fellow of the Creative Time Global Residency, the Socrates Sculpture Park Residency, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council World Views AIR Program, the Eyebeam Atelier Teaching Residency, the Studio Museum AIR Program, the P.S. 1 International Studio Program and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture residency.

Biggers' installations, videos and performances have appeared in venues worldwide including Tate Britain and Tate Modern in London, the Whitney Museum and Studio Museum in Harlem, New York and the Yerba Bue a Center for the Arts in San Francisco, as well as institutions in China, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Poland and Russia. The artist's works have been included in notable exhibitions such as: Prospect 1 New Orleans Biennial, Illuminations at the Tate Modern, Performa 07 in NY, the Whitney Biennial and Freestyle at the Studio Museum in Harlem. His works are included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Walker Art Center, Whitney Museum, Brooklyn Museum and Bronx Museum.

Biggers has won awards including: the American Academy in Berlin Prize, Greenfield Prize, New York City Art Teachers Association Artist-of-the-Year, Creative Time Travel Grant, Creative Capital Project Grant, New York Percent for the Arts Commission, Art Matters Grant, New York Foundation for the Arts Award, the Lambent Fellowship in the Arts, the Pennies From Heaven/ New York Community Trust Award, Tanne Foundation Award and Rema Hort Mann Foundation Award Grant.

Biggers is Assistant Professor at Columbia University's Visual Arts program and a board member of Sculpture Center, Soho House and the CUE Foundation. He has also taught at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Sculpture and Expanded Media program and was a visiting scholar at Harvard University's VES Department in 2009.

More profile about the speaker
Sanford Biggers | Speaker | TED.com
TED2016

Sanford Biggers: An artist's unflinching look at racial violence

Sanford Biggers: En kunstners ubøjelig syn på racistisk vold

Filmed:
1,158,104 views

Koncepuel kunstner og TED Fellow Sanford Biggers bruger malerier, skulpturer, videoer og optræden til at sætte gang i udfordrende samtaler om historien og traumerne fra de sortes USA. Vær med mens han fremviser to overbevisende værker og deler motivationen bag hans kunst. "Kun gennem mere eftertænksom dialog omkring historie og race kan vi udvikle os som individer og som samfund," siger Biggers.
- Conceptual artist
Sanford Biggers creates art that upends traditional narratives about topics ranging from hip hop to Buddhism to American history. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
As a conceptualkonceptuelle artistkunstner,
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Som konceptuel kunstner,
00:14
I'm constantlykonstant looking for creativekreativ waysmåder
to sparkgnist challengingudfordrende conversationssamtaler.
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leder jeg hele tiden efter kreative
måder at fremprovokere udfordrende samtaler.
00:18
I do this thoughselvom paintingmaleri, sculptureskulptur,
videovideo and performanceydeevne.
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Jeg gør det igennem malerier, skulpturer,
videoer og optræden.
00:22
But regardlessuanset of the formatformat,
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Men uanset formatet,
00:23
two of my favoritefavorit materialsmaterialer
are historyhistorie and dialoguedialog.
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er to af mine favoritmaterialer
historie og dialog.
00:27
In 2007, I createdskabt "LotusLotus,"
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I 2007, kreerede jeg "Lotus,"
00:30
a seven-and-a-half-footsyv og en halv fod diameterdiameter,
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en syv og en halv fod i diameter,
00:32
600-pound-pund glassglas depictionskildring
of a lotuslotus blossomBlossom.
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600 pund glas afbildning
af en lotus blomst.
00:35
In BuddhismBuddhisme, the lotuslotus is a symbolsymbol
for transcendencetranscendens
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I Buddhismen, er en lotus et symbol
på transcendens
00:39
and for purityrenhed of mindsind and spiritånd.
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og renselse af sind og ånd.
00:41
But a closertættere look at this lotuslotus
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Men et nærmere kig på denne lotus
00:44
revealsafslører eachhver petalPETAL
to be the cross-sectiontværsnit of a slaveslave shipskib.
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afslører at hvert kronblad
er tværsnittet af et slave skib.
00:47
This iconicikoniske diagramdiagram was takentaget
from a BritishBritiske slavingSlider manualbrugervejledning
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Dette ikoniske diagram blev taget
fra en britisk slave manual
00:51
and latersenere used by abolitionistsabolitionister to showat vise
the atrocitiesgrusomheder of slaveryslaveri.
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og senere brugt af abolitionister
til at vise grusomhederne ved slaveri.
00:56
In AmericaAmerika, we don't like
to talk about slaveryslaveri,
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I USA kan vi ikke lide
at tale om slaveri,
00:58
norheller ikke do we look at it as a globalglobal industryindustri.
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vi ser det heller ikke som en
global industri.
01:01
But by usingved brug af this BuddhistBuddhistiske symbolsymbol,
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Men ved at bruge dette
buddhistiske symbol,
01:03
I hopehåber to universalizeuniversalize and transcendtranscendere
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håber jeg at kunne universalisere og transcendere
01:05
the historyhistorie and traumatraumer of blacksort AmericaAmerika
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historien og traumerne fra det sorte USA
01:08
and encouragetilskynde discussionsdiskussioner
about our shareddelt pastforbi.
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og opmuntre til diskussioner
om vores fælles fortid.
01:12
To createskab "LotusLotus,"
we carvedudskåret over 6,000 figurestal.
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For at lave "Lotus,"
snittede vi over 6000 figurer.
01:16
And this latersenere led to a commissionprovision
by the CityCity of NewNye YorkYork
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Og det førte senere til en opgave
fra New York ønskede
01:19
to createskab a 28-foot-fod versionversion in steelstål
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at bygge en 28 fod version i stål
01:21
as a permanentpermanent installationinstallation
at the EagleEagle AcademyAcademy for YoungUnge MenMænd,
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som en permanent installation
på Eagle Academy for Young Men,
01:24
a schoolskole for blacksort and latinolatino studentsstuderende,
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en skole for sorte og latino studerende,
01:27
the two groupsgrupper mostmest affectedpåvirket
by this historyhistorie.
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de to grupper der har været mest
påvirket af denne del af historien.
01:30
The samesamme two groupsgrupper are very affectedpåvirket
by a more recentnylig phenomenonfænomen,
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De samme to grupper er meget påvirkede
af et mere for nyligt opstået fænomen,
01:33
but let me digresssidespring.
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men først et sidespring.
01:35
I've been collectingopsamling
woodentræ AfricanAfrikanske figurestal
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Jeg har samlet på afrikanske figurer
01:38
from touristturist shopsbutikker and flealoppe marketsmarkeder
around the worldverden.
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fra turistbutikker og loppemarkeder
over hele verden.
01:40
The authenticityægthed and originoprindelse
of them is completelyfuldstændig debatablediskutabel,
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Autenciteten og oprindelsen af disse
er helt sikkert diskutabel,
01:43
but people believe these
to be imbuedgennemsyret with powerstrøm,
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men folk tror at disse er
fyldt med kræft
01:46
or even magicmagi.
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eller endda magi.
01:47
Only recentlyfor nylig have I figuredregnede out
how to use this in my ownegen work.
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Det er kun for nyligt at jeg har fundet
ud af at bruge dette i min kunst.
01:51
(GunPistol shotsshots)
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(Pistolskud)
02:05
SinceSiden 2012, the worldverden has witnessedvidne
the killingsdrab of TrayvonTrayvon MartinMartin,
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Siden 2012, har verden været vidne
til drabene på Travyon Martin,
02:09
MichaelMichael BrownBrown, EricEric GarnerGarner,
SandraSandra BlandBland, TamirTamir RiceRis
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Michael Brown, Eric Garner,
Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice
02:13
and literallybogstaveligt talt countlessutallige other
unarmedubevæbnede blacksort citizensborgere
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og bogstavelig talt utallige andre
ubevæbnede sorte borgere
02:16
at the handshænder of the policepoliti,
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i hænderne på politiet,
02:17
who frequentlyhyppigt walk away
with no punishmentstraf at all.
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som for det meste får lov at gå fri
uden nogen form for straf, overhovedet.
02:20
In considerationbetragtning of these victimsofre
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Med henblik på disse ofre
02:22
and the severalflere timesgange that even I,
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og de utallige gange da selv jeg,
02:24
a law-abidinglovlydige, IvyIvy LeagueLeague professorprofessor,
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en lovlydig, Ivy League professor,
02:27
have been targetedmålrettet and harassedchikaneret
at gunpointtrussel om magtanvendelse by the policepoliti.
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er blevet antastet og chikaneret
og truet med pistol af politiet.
02:30
I createdskabt this bodylegeme of work
simplyganske enkelt entitledberettiget "BAMBAM."
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Jeg dannede denne arbejdsgruppe
helt simpelt kaldet "BAM."
02:36
It was importantvigtig to eraseslette
the identityidentitet of eachhver of these figurestal,
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Det var vigtigt at slette
identiteten af disse figurer,
02:39
to make them all look the samesamme
and easiernemmere to disregardSe bort fra.
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for at få dem til at se ens ud
og så de er nemmere at skille sig af med.
02:43
To do this, I dipDIP them in a thicktyk,
brownBrun waxvoks
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For at gøre dette, dypper jeg dem
i en tyk, brun voks
02:45
before takingtager them to a shootingskydning rangerækkevidde
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før jeg tager dem med til en skydebane
02:47
where I re-sculptedre skulpturelle them usingved brug af bulletskugler.
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hvor jeg omformede dem ved brug af pistolkugler.
02:51
And it was funsjovt,
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Og det var sjovt,
02:52
playingspille with bigstor gunspistoler and
high-speedhøjhastighedstog videovideo cameraskameraer.
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at lege med skydevåben
og high-speed kameraer.
02:55
But my reverenceærbødighed for these figurestal
keptholdt me from actuallyrent faktisk pullingtrækker the triggerudløser,
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Men min dybe respekt for disse figurer
holdt mig igen fra at trykke på aftrækkeren,
02:58
somehowen eller anden måde feelingfølelse as if I would
be shootingskydning myselfMig selv.
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og gav mig en følelse af at på
en eller anden måde
ville jeg skyde mig selv.
03:01
FinallyEndelig, my cameramankameramand, RaulRaul,
firedfyret the shotsshots.
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Til sidst var det min kameramand, Raul,
der affyrede skudende.
03:06
I then tooktog the fragmentsfragmenter of these
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Jeg tog herefter fragmenterne herfra
03:08
and createdskabt moldsforme,
and caststøbt them first in waxvoks,
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og lavede forme, og støbte dem først i voks,
03:12
and finallyendelig in bronzeBronze
like the imagebillede you see here,
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og til sidst i bronze, som på billedet her,
03:15
whichhvilken bearsbjørne the marksmærker
of its violentvoldsom creationskabelse
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som bærer markeringer fra dens
voldelige tilblivelse
03:18
like battlekamp woundssår or scarsar.
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som kampsår eller ar.
03:20
When I showedviste this work recentlyfor nylig in MiamiMiami,
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Da jeg præsenterede dette projekt,
for nylig, i Miami
03:22
a womankvinde told me she feltfølte
everyhver gunkanon shotskud to her soulsjæl.
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fortalte en kvinde mig at hun
kunne mærke hvert skud i sin sjæl.
03:25
But she alsoogså feltfølte that these artworkskunstværker
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Men hun følte også at disse kunstværker
03:28
memorializedopkaldt the victimsofre of these killingsdrab
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hjalp med at minde folk om ofrene
for disse mord
03:30
as well as other victimsofre of
racialrace violencevold throughouthele vejen igennem US historyhistorie.
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såvel som resten af ofrene for
racistisk vold gennem USA's historie.
03:33
But "LotusLotus" and "BAMBAM" are largerstørre
than just US historyhistorie.
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Men "Lotus" og "BAM" er større end
kun USA's historie.
03:36
While showingviser in BerlinBerlin last yearår,
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Under udstilling i Berlin sidste år,
03:38
a philosophyfilosofi studentstuderende askedspurgt me
what promptedbedt these recentnylig killingsdrab.
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spurgte en filosofistuderende mig
hvad der var årsagen til de nylige mord.
03:42
I showedviste him a photoFoto
of a lynchinglynching postcardpostkort
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Jeg viste ham et foto af et
billede af et lynchning postkort
03:44
from the earlytidlig 1900s
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fra det tidlige 20. århundrede
03:46
and remindedmindet him that these killingsdrab
have been going on for over 500 yearsflere år.
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og mindede ham om at disse mord
har været en realitet i over 500 år.
03:51
But it's only throughigennem questionsspørgsmål like his
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Men det er kun gennem spørgsmål som hans
03:53
and more thoughtfultankevækkende dialoguedialog
about historyhistorie and racerace
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og en mere eftertænksom dialog
om historie og race
03:56
can we evolveudvikle sig as individualsindivider and societysamfund.
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at vi kan udvikle os som
individer og samfund.
03:59
I hopehåber my artworkkunstværk createsskaber a safesikker spaceplads
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Jeg håber min kunst skaber et trygt rum
04:02
for this typetype of honestærlig exchangeudveksling
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for den slags ærlige udvekslinger
04:05
and an opportunitylejlighed for people
to engageengagere one anotheren anden
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og en mulighed for folk
til at engagere hinanden
04:07
in realægte and necessarynødvendig conversationsamtale.
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i virkelig og nødvendig konversation.
04:10
Thank you.
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Tak skal I have.
04:11
(ApplauseBifald)
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(Bifald)
Translated by Aske Povl Hansen
Reviewed by Anders Finn Jørgensen

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sanford Biggers - Conceptual artist
Sanford Biggers creates art that upends traditional narratives about topics ranging from hip hop to Buddhism to American history.

Why you should listen

An LA native working in NYC, Sanford Biggers creates artworks that integrate film, video, installation, sculpture, drawing, original music and performance. He intentionally complicates issues such as hip hop, Buddhism, politics, identity and art history in order to offer new perspectives and associations for established symbols. Through a multi-disciplinary formal process and a syncretic creative approach, he makes works that are as aesthetically pleasing as they are conceptual.

The significance of Biggers' work within contemporary society has been celebrated through solo exhibitions both nationally and internationally, most recently at the Brooklyn Museum, Sculpture Center and Mass MoCA. He has participated in prestigious residencies and fellowships including: Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany; Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw, Poland; Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, California; ARCUS Project Foundation, Ibaraki, Japan; and the Art in General/ Trafo Gallery Eastern European Exchange in Budapest, Hungary. He has been a fellow of the Creative Time Global Residency, the Socrates Sculpture Park Residency, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council World Views AIR Program, the Eyebeam Atelier Teaching Residency, the Studio Museum AIR Program, the P.S. 1 International Studio Program and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture residency.

Biggers' installations, videos and performances have appeared in venues worldwide including Tate Britain and Tate Modern in London, the Whitney Museum and Studio Museum in Harlem, New York and the Yerba Bue a Center for the Arts in San Francisco, as well as institutions in China, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Poland and Russia. The artist's works have been included in notable exhibitions such as: Prospect 1 New Orleans Biennial, Illuminations at the Tate Modern, Performa 07 in NY, the Whitney Biennial and Freestyle at the Studio Museum in Harlem. His works are included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Walker Art Center, Whitney Museum, Brooklyn Museum and Bronx Museum.

Biggers has won awards including: the American Academy in Berlin Prize, Greenfield Prize, New York City Art Teachers Association Artist-of-the-Year, Creative Time Travel Grant, Creative Capital Project Grant, New York Percent for the Arts Commission, Art Matters Grant, New York Foundation for the Arts Award, the Lambent Fellowship in the Arts, the Pennies From Heaven/ New York Community Trust Award, Tanne Foundation Award and Rema Hort Mann Foundation Award Grant.

Biggers is Assistant Professor at Columbia University's Visual Arts program and a board member of Sculpture Center, Soho House and the CUE Foundation. He has also taught at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Sculpture and Expanded Media program and was a visiting scholar at Harvard University's VES Department in 2009.

More profile about the speaker
Sanford Biggers | Speaker | TED.com