Paul Rucker: The symbols of systemic racism -- and how to take away their power
Paul Rucker: Les symboles du racisme systémique -- et comment leur ôter leur pouvoir
Paul Rucker creates art that explores issues related to mass incarceration, racially-motivated violence, police brutality and the continuing impact of slavery in the US. Full bio
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contient des images choquantes
to mark slaves as property.
des esclaves comme des biens.
des cartes postales de lynchage.
that attended these lynchings,
ayant assisté à ces lynchages
that portray black people as criminals
comme des criminels
pour marquer des esclaves.
when they were marked.
quand ils ont été marqués.
were going to be slaves
qu'ils allaient être esclaves
aux États-Unis et en Europe.
my imagination when I was younger
plus jeune, conquis mon imagination
Ku Klux Klan rallies occasionally,
des rassemblements du Ku Klux Klan,
never really left my mind.
n'a jamais quitté mon esprit.
with that imagery until 25 years later.
pendant 25 ans.
I started researching the Klan,
des recherches sur le Klan,
had more than five million active members,
plus de cinq millions de membres actifs,
of the population at the time,
de la population de l'époque,
of New York City at the time.
la population de la ville de New York.
neighborhood of Georgia was so busy
à Buckhead, en Géorgie, était si active
to keep up with orders.
pour répondre aux commandes.
to keep up with the demand.
en tout temps pour répondre à la demande.
and as an artist,
d'artefacts et artiste,
to be part of my collection,
fasse partie de ma collection
and objects tell stories,
racontent des histoires,
that was really good quality.
qui soit de bonne qualité.
Klan robe that he's looking for?
de la robe du Klan qu'il cherche ?
the best quality Klan robes in America.
de la meilleure qualité d'Amérique.
you would see at any KKK rally.
du Klan traditionnelles
satins and different patterns.
de la soie, du satin et différents motifs.
I make them for young kids
tranches d'âges ;
the Klan had in place
que le Klan avait en place
a hundred years ago
neighborhoods, workplaces,
les quartiers, les lieux de travail
that are keeping these policies in place.
qui maintiennent ces règles en place.
the long-term impact of slavery.
à long terme de l'esclavage.
with the residue of systemic racism.
les résidus du racisme systémique.
of every single thing we do.
segregated neighborhoods,
ségrégué les quartiers,
of minorities incarcerated.
disproportionnée
We have police brutality.
Nous avons de la violence policière.
you're being discriminated against.
que vous êtes discriminé.
in America is slavery.
en Amérique est l'esclavage.
le capital du capitalisme.
Nathan Bedford Forrest,
Nathan Bedford Forrest,
and a millionaire slave trader.
et un trafiquant d'esclaves millionnaire.
from chattel slavery --
avec l'esclavage --
would boggle the mind.
est déconcertante.
equalled 200 million dollars.
équivalaient à 200 millions de dollars.
five billion dollars today.
à cinq milliards de dollars.
through generational wealth.
de génération en génération.
for the entire year.
durant toute l'année.
j'ai eu une épiphanie.
that white supremacy is there,
blanche était présente,
of white supremacy is not the KKK,
blanche n'était pas le KKK
du racisme systémique.
over me at all.
d'emprise sur moi.
collectivement,
des menottes, des robes --
are part of our history,
de notre histoire,
no more power over us.
plus d'emprise sur nous.
and acknowledge
le racisme systémique et reconnaissons
of who we are as a country,
de qui nous sommes en tant que pays,
about the intentional segregation
au sujet de la ségrégation intentionnelle
neighborhoods and workplaces.
et nos lieux de travail.
can we actually address
que nous pouvons remédier
de l'esclavage
héritage de l'esclavage.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Paul Rucker - Visual artist, cellistPaul Rucker creates art that explores issues related to mass incarceration, racially-motivated violence, police brutality and the continuing impact of slavery in the US.
Why you should listen
Paul Rucker is a visual artist, composer, and musician who often combines media, integrating live performance, sound, original compositions and visual art. His work is the product of a rich interactive process, through which he investigates community impacts, human rights issues, historical research and basic human emotions surrounding particular subject matter. Much of his current work focuses on the Prison Industrial Complex and the many issues accompanying incarceration in its relationship to slavery. He has presented performances and visual art exhibitions across the country and has collaborated with educational institutions to address the issue of mass incarceration. Presentations have taken place in schools, active prisons and also inactive prisons such as Alcatraz.
His largest installation to date, REWIND, garnered praise from Baltimore Magazine awarding Rucker "Best Artist 2015." Additionally, REWIND received "Best Solo Show 2015" and "#1 Art Show of 2015" from Baltimore City Paper, reviews by The Huffington Post, Artnet News, Washington Post, The Root and The Real News Network. Rucker has received numerous grants, awards and residencies for visual art and music. He is a 2012 Creative Capital Grantee in visual art as well as a 2014 and 2018 MAP (Multi-Arts Production) Fund Grantee for performance. In 2015 he received a prestigious Joan Mitchell Painters & Sculptors Grant as well as the Mary Sawyer Baker Award. In 2016 Paul received the Rauschenberg Artist as Activist fellowship and the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship, for which he is the first artist in residence at the new National Museum of African American Culture.
Residencies include MacDowell Colony, Blue Mountain Center, Ucross Foundation, Art OMI, Banff Centre, Pilchuck Glass School, Rauschenberg Residency, Joan Mitchell Residency, Hemera Artist Retreat, Air Serembe, Creative Alliance and the Rockefeller Foundation Study Center in Bellagio, Italy. In 2013-2015, he was the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation Artist in Residence and Research Fellow at the Maryland Institute College of Art. He was most recently awarded a 2017 John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, a 2018 TED Fellowship and the 2018 Arts Innovator Award from the Dale and Leslie Chihuly Foundation and Artist Trust. Rucker is an iCubed Visiting Arts Fellow embedded at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Rucker's latest work, Storm in the Time of Shelter, an installation of 52 custom Ku Klux Klan robes and related artifacts, is featured in the exhibition "Declaration," on view at the new Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia through September 9, 2018.
Paul Rucker | Speaker | TED.com