Danh Vo - JULY, IV, MDCCLXXVI

In this exhibition, Danh Vo, a Danish artist, wanted to investigate the concept of American freedom, hence the exhibition's name's reference to July 4th, 1776. He had copper replicas made of various, identifiable parts of the Statue of Liberty, like her massive toes, her torch, and pleating of her stola, and had them laid out all across a gallery space, as though she was still being assembled back in the late 1800s. With this strewn collection of colossal statue parts, he placed a miraculous find: the original typewriter on which terrorist Theodore Kaczynski wrote his Unabomber manifesto. These two contrasting images examine the idea of freedom and challenge the viewer's concepts of the pros and cons of the American political system. 

What I thought was so interesting about this exhibit was that Vo basically recreated the original Statue of Liberty; this was how she looked back in 1875, in her original copper state, and we get to see it face-to-face and explore the truly awe-striking and iconic pieces of her image. But at the same time, this classical throwback is coupled with a modern struggle that we didn't think we'd find ourselves facing: in the United States of America, we open our arms wide and welcome immigrants, travelers, and refugees to our land, but at the same time, we find ourselves letting in people who mean us harm, and is that right? We can choose to deconstruct our idea of freedom by forcing severe limitations upon prospective citizens, basically looking over their shoulders until they prove to us that they mean no harm, or we can keep our image of equality for everyone, and let slip past our borders terrorists, spies, and conspirators alike.

Also, I couldn't help but think of one of my favorite poems, Ozymandias while looking through the exhibition photos. The exhibit makes me worry about the soundness of our country; are we doomed to wither away some day, or will we somehow manage to uphold our glory, legacy, and physical country? Such mind boggling questions, but I love the intellectual challenge of this exhibit. I really wish I could have seen it myself, it would have been awe-inspiring!

Here is the exhibit page!