With the Superbowl upon us and with all the controversy surrounding players taking a knee to protest racial injustice and police brutality, this exhibition puts an astounding perspective on the matter. So, whether you’re looking for an alternative to watching the actual game or you simply want to educate yourself, this exhibit shouldn’t be missed.
A half century before NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee, gold medal sprinter Tommie Smith raised a fist at the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico to protest the abuse of human rights around the world and in response to the struggle for civil rights in the United States. His historic gesture and its reverberations over the past 50 years will be explored in this remarkable exhibition organized by the High Museum of Art.
The exhibition, which will introduce several new works, is the culmination of a multiyear collaboration between Los Angeles–based conceptual artist Glenn Kaino and Smith and will feature sculptural installations and drawings by Kaino and Smith, objects from the Tommie Smith archives, and a series of drawings contributed by students from across the United States. By bridging the past and present, With Drawn Arms powerfully resonates in the current moment of reckoning with racial injustice in America.
More info at high.org.
The What, When, and Where
What: WITH DRAWN ARMS: Glenn Kaino & Tommie Smith
When: On view now through February 3, 2019
Where: The High Museum, 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
