Ruins of Empire, 2022
13 feet high x 8 feet wide
Ruins of Empire is a 1:1 replica of the Statue of Freedom, the 19th century neoclassical bronze created by Thomas Crawford and fabricated in part by Phillip Reid, an enslaved sculptor. Made of and embedded in earth, the sculpture transforms a monumental statue into an earthen relic, revealing the fissures and volatilities that undergird the symbolism of the original. With the Statue of Liberty in view, the sculpture creates a visual conversation through sightlines and juxtaposition that call into question the conventions and ideological foundations of monuments. By shifting context and manipulating a historic statue, Ruins of Empire deconstructs an iconic symbol, subverts the conventions and materiality of monumentalism, and surfaces the diasporic histories that undergird neoclassical forms.
Read more about the work in recent features in The New York Times T Magazine and Monuments Lab Bulletin.
Photos: Nicholas Knight