In this interview with Bomb Magazine, Titus Kaphar explains that he wants to bring attention to Black historical figures who are left out of discussions of American history. In one of Kaphar’s pieces named Absconded from the Household of the President of the United States (2016), there are multiple rusted nails tacked into a portrait of George Washington. The nails are all holding onto shredded pieces of paper with names of all the enslaved people that Washington owned. This piece calls out the fact that Americans credit George Washington for what he did for the country as the first U.S. President, while ignoring that the United States was built off the backs of enslaved people.

Imperialist countries like the United States often like to mask the shame of its past. George Washington and multiple other Founding Fathers owned slaves. This is proved by states like Texas that are now trying to suppress the teaching of slavery and other horrific events in American history. I remember that I didn’t learn that the early presidents and other famous American figures owned slaves until I was in high school. Art like Titus’ is important because it shows how white-washed American history is, and how historical BIPOC figures are overlooked.

Sources

Titus Kaphar. Absconded from the Household of the President of the United States. 2016. Oil, canvas, and rusted nails on canvas, 60″ x 48″. Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA.

https://www.kapharstudio.com/absconded-from-the-household-of-the-president-of-the-united-states-2016/