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

Санфорд Бигерс: Уметник го отвара погледот кон расното насилство

Filmed:
1,158,104 views

Концептуалниот уметник и партнер на TED Санфорд Бигерс користи слики, скулптури, видео и изведби за да поттикне предизвикувачки разговори поврзани со историјата и траумата на црната Америка. Придружете му се додека ги претставува детаљите за своите две дела и мотивацијата зад нив."Само преку дијалог за историјата и расата можеме да еволуираме како индивидуи и како општество"
- 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 conceptual artist,
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Како концептуален уметник,
00:14
I'm constantly looking for creative ways
to spark challenging conversations.
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константно барам креативни начини за да
поттикнам предизвикувачки разговори.
00:18
I do this though painting, sculpture,
video and performance.
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Го правам ова преку сликање, скулптури,
видео и изведби.
00:22
But regardless of the format,
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Но, без разлика на форматот,
00:23
two of my favorite materials
are history and dialogue.
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два од моите омилени материјали се
историјата и дијалогот.
00:27
In 2007, I created "Lotus,"
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Во 2007 го креирав "Лотус",
00:30
a seven-and-a-half-foot diameter,
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7 и пол педи во дијаметар,
00:32
600-pound glass depiction
of a lotus blossom.
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расцветан лотус направен од стакло
кој тежи 272 кг.
00:35
In Buddhism, the lotus is a symbol
for transcendence
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Во будизмот, лотусот е симбол на
совршенство
00:39
and for purity of mind and spirit.
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и чистина на умот и духот.
00:41
But a closer look at this lotus
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Но, поблискиот поглед кон лотусот
00:44
reveals each petal
to be the cross-section of a slave ship.
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открива дека секое листе е вкрстување на
брод со робови.
00:47
This iconic diagram was taken
from a British slaving manual
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Овој дијаграм е земен од Британски
прирачник за управување со робови
00:51
and later used by abolitionists to show
the atrocities of slavery.
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и подоцна користен од аболиционистите за
да ја покажат злоупотребата на ропството.
00:56
In America, we don't like
to talk about slavery,
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Во Америка, не сакаме да зборуваме за
ропство,
00:58
nor do we look at it as a global industry.
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ниту пак го гледаме како глобална
индустрија.
Но, со употребата на будистичкиот симбол
01:01
But by using this Buddhist symbol,
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01:03
I hope to universalize and transcend
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се надевам дека ќе ја направиме
универзална и совршена
01:05
the history and trauma of black America
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историјата и траумата на црната Америка
01:08
and encourage discussions
about our shared past.
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и ќе ги охрабриме дискусиите за нашето
заедничко минато.
01:12
To create "Lotus,"
we carved over 6,000 figures.
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За да го создадеме "Лотус" изгравиравме
преку 6000 фигури.
01:16
And this later led to a commission
by the City of New York
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Подоцна бевме пред комисија од градот
Њујорк
01:19
to create a 28-foot version in steel
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за да направиме 8.5 метарска челична
верзија,
01:21
as a permanent installation
at the Eagle Academy for Young Men,
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која е перманентна инсталација во
Академијата за млади мажи - Орел,
01:24
a school for black and latino students,
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училиште за црни и латино студенти,
01:27
the two groups most affected
by this history.
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двете групи најпогодени од историјата.
01:30
The same two groups are very affected
by a more recent phenomenon,
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Истите групи се исто подложни на еден
понов феномен,
01:33
but let me digress.
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но, дозволете ми да отстапам од
темата.
Собирав дрвени Африкански фигури
01:35
I've been collecting
wooden African figures
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01:38
from tourist shops and flea markets
around the world.
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од туристички продавници околу светот.
01:40
The authenticity and origin
of them is completely debatable,
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Нивната оригиналност и потекло се
дискутабилни,
01:43
but people believe these
to be imbued with power,
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но, луѓето веруваат дека во нив е вдахната
моќ,
01:46
or even magic.
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па дури и магија.
01:47
Only recently have I figured out
how to use this in my own work.
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Неодамна сфатив како да го користам ова
во мојата работа.
01:51
(Gun shots)
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(Пукотници)
02:05
Since 2012, the world has witnessed
the killings of Trayvon Martin,
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Од 2012, светот ги засведочи убиствата на
Тревон Мартин,
02:09
Michael Brown, Eric Garner,
Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice
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Мајкл Браун, Ерик Гарнер, Сандра Бланд,
Тамир Рајс
02:13
and literally countless other
unarmed black citizens
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и буквално безбројно многу невооружени
црни жители
02:16
at the hands of the police,
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од рацете на полицијата,
02:17
who frequently walk away
with no punishment at all.
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кои често заминуваат без никаква казна.
02:20
In consideration of these victims
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Земајќи ги во предвид жртвите
02:22
and the several times that even I,
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неколкупати дури и јас,
02:24
a law-abiding, Ivy League professor,
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професор во Ајви лигата,
02:27
have been targeted and harassed
at gunpoint by the police.
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бев на мета и малтретиран од
полицијата.
02:30
I created this body of work
simply entitled "BAM."
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Го создадов ова дело
и го нареков "BAM".
02:36
It was important to erase
the identity of each of these figures,
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Важно беше да се избрише идентитетот на
секоја од овие фигури,
02:39
to make them all look the same
and easier to disregard.
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за да се направи да изгледаат исти и
полесно да се занемарат.
За да го направиме ова, ги ставивме во
густ, кафен восок
02:43
To do this, I dip them in a thick,
brown wax
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02:45
before taking them to a shooting range
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пред да ги однесеме на стрелиште
02:47
where I re-sculpted them using bullets.
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каде ги преправивме користејќи куршуми.
Беше забавно,
02:51
And it was fun,
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да се игра со големи пушки и видео
камери кои снимаат успорено.
02:52
playing with big guns and
high-speed video cameras.
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02:55
But my reverence for these figures
kept me from actually pulling the trigger,
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Мојата почит за овие фигури не ми дозволи
да го повлечам чкрапалото,
02:58
somehow feeling as if I would
be shooting myself.
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некако се чувствував дека ќе пукам во
самиот себе.
03:01
Finally, my cameraman, Raul,
fired the shots.
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Најпосле, пукаше Раул, мојот камерман.
03:06
I then took the fragments of these
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А јас ги зедов остатоците
03:08
and created molds,
and cast them first in wax,
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и направив калапи, прво од восок
03:12
and finally in bronze
like the image you see here,
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и најпосле од бронза како што се
гледа на сликата овде.
03:15
which bears the marks
of its violent creation
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Тие се резултат на насилство.
На нив се гледаат
03:18
like battle wounds or scars.
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воени рани и лузни.
Кога моето дело го покажав неодамна во
Мајами
03:20
When I showed this work recently in Miami,
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03:22
a woman told me she felt
every gun shot to her soul.
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една жена ми рече дека секој куршум ѝ ја
погодил душата.
03:25
But she also felt that these artworks
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Но, исто така дека ги чувствувала овие
дела
03:28
memorialized the victims of these killings
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како потсетник на жртвите на убиствата
03:30
as well as other victims of
racial violence throughout US history.
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како и на други жртви на расното насилство
низ историјата на САД.
03:33
But "Lotus" and "BAM" are larger
than just US history.
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Но, "Лотус" и "BAM" се поголеми од
историјата на САД.
03:36
While showing in Berlin last year,
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Додека беа изложени во Берлин лани,
03:38
a philosophy student asked me
what prompted these recent killings.
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студент по филозофија ме праша, што ги има
поттикнато новите убиства.
03:42
I showed him a photo
of a lynching postcard
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Му покажав слика од поштенска карта
03:44
from the early 1900s
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од раните 1900-ти години
03:46
and reminded him that these killings
have been going on for over 500 years.
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и го потсетив дека овие убиства траат
повеќе од 500 години.
03:51
But it's only through questions like his
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Но, само низ вакви прашања
03:53
and more thoughtful dialogue
about history and race
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и дијалози за историјата и расата
03:56
can we evolve as individuals and society.
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можеме да еволуираме како индивидуи
и како општество.
03:59
I hope my artwork creates a safe space
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Се надевам дека мојата уметност креира
сигурно место
04:02
for this type of honest exchange
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за овој вид на искрена размена
04:05
and an opportunity for people
to engage one another
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и шанса за луѓето да се впуштат
04:07
in real and necessary conversation.
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во вистински и потребен разговор.
04:10
Thank you.
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Ви благодарам.
04:11
(Applause)
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(Аплауз)
Translated by Davor Stevcheski
Reviewed by Julia Pascal Kalaputi

▲Back to top

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