Hank Willis Thomas and Liu Shiming curated by Emann Odufu
When American poet Ocean Vuong appeared as a guest speaker at Oprah Winfrey's book club, he posed a profound question: "How do I make do with this body if I can't leave it?" while layering the argument that ordinary life of those who can not easily escape their realities is far more interesting than the typical heroic tale. In today's digital landscape, where we often celebrate escapism and overlook the everyday people, an exhibition such as 'People Everyday' by Hank Willis Thomas and Liu Shiming serves as a crucial reminder of our shared humanity.
On an early Monday morning, Deeds Magazine met with curator Emann Odufu at the Liu Shiming Art foundation to dwell into the lastest exhibition visible until July 31st, and uncover how selected artworks, sculptures and installations occupy the gallery’s transformative space.
As we entered the fifth floor of the Manhattan building, crisp white walls surrounded us with a glimpse of the exhibition peeking through at the right corner. It was only when one managed to write down half of an email address on the visitor list that curator Emann appeared out of nowhere from the hidden chambers of the exhibition, embracing our presence with a warm greeting. At an instant, we found ourselves in a narrow hallway next to the entrance, spotlighting the head statue of Liu Shiming at its end, while his journey from Beijing to spending twenty years in rural China was scripted on the wall beside him. Similarly to Hank's fascination with common people, the late artist Liu's pursuit bled into the ordinary pace of his environment. As China rapidly developed and saw change, so did his subjects, never undermining the people who made this country their home, and who brought meaning to their livelyhood.
“It is a quiet resistance,” explains Emann while guiding us through the first portion of the exhibition. We’re both figuratively and metaphorically peeling away a poetic ensemble of fragmented pieces of history, whether it is Hank’s personification of the Atlantic slave trade in carefully-crafted collages and how Africans were transported through waters, or the regard of flight by Liu, envisioning a community or a group of people in total liberation. However, this is both the beauty and wonders that roam around the gallery at present time as the observer is left free to make its own perception of the message, rather than it being forced upon us with direct symbolism.
To understand the concept of ‘People Everyday,’ this would bring us to the 1969 song ‘Everyday People’ by Sly and the Family Stone, or perhaps its offspring, ‘People Everyday’ by Arrested Development released in the early 90s. During their time, both tracks embedded a powerful musical contribution; however, for this generation, the meaning behind the lyrics speak volume. It is a call to action, or better said, an invitation to bring back balance in our lives as we may have lost our human touch. When we ask Emann why it is important to highlight everyday life, he empathizes that political sentiments get put above human elements. As he walks us through the second segment of the show, the overall picture gets clearer and through its extension, we are made aware that as much as Hank and Liu want to portray a poetic tale, they also demand for change through their art.
This does not necessarily mean that both artists share the same viewpoint on preservation as Liu’s sculptures to the naked eye appear to be physically collapsing. Mainly made of bronze, it does make one question if the use of similar materials bound to rust, is a process we ought to accept as Liu didn’t look to immortalize his subjects and instead, wanted to envision the body as it comes; limiting and with all of its flaws. Whereas Hank’s approach, on the other hand, can be argued to be the opposite. In its polished and luminous lights, apparently trying to uphold a lasting impression, in all of its glory and modernism, regardless of the passing of time. We see a gap closing in the artists’ work of art trying to articulate the interconnection of our world dating centuries ago. Whether in light of a dark past or trading routes, Hank and Liu draw the passage for us to follow, underlining how truly interactive our ancestors have always been with one another.
‘People Everyday’ is two worlds colliding- the past and the present, two generations apart, one corner of the world crashing with the other, as we found ourselves split in the middle, having to make amends with the small yet important details of life often dismissed. In an era of division and strong-opinionation, it is by looking through not only our behavioural; but also, our use of space and time, that we may embrace our commonalities again and recognize that we hold the same hope for the world. Although we may be on different paths, inevitably our destination is the same and ‘People Everyday’ does an excellent job at bringing forth the human condition.
