Power to the People

Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gold and bronze medalists in the 200-meter run at the 1968 Olympic Games, raised their fists in protest of the treatment of Blacks in the USA. With heads lowered and black-gloved fists raised in protest with the Black power salute, they refused to recognize the American flag and national anthem. Even though I wasn't born yet, each time I look at this picture, I have a sort of nostalgia for times past. Times when people actually made a bold stand against bullshit. I wish I could find this picture. I want to put it up in my apartment. I have an idea! I want to commission somebody like Kara Walker to take the essence of this photograph and shape it into something new. I want the men still there, but I want them to be in the Bush White House or something... I want to preserve this photo but put a different take on it. Now, the only thing I need to do now is pitch it to Kara...

patina -- n :1. The color or incrustation which age gives to works of art; especially, the green rust which covers ancient bronzes, coins, and medals. 2. The sheen on any surface, produced by age and use.3. An appearance or aura produced by habit, practice, or use.4. A superficial layer or exterior.

“I believe in saying the truth, coming out with it cold, shocking if necessary, not disguising it. In other words, obscenity is a cleansing process...” Henry Miller