#doreen garner

Garner, Doreen. RACK OF THOSE RAVAGED AND UNCONSENTING. 2017.

ᴅᴏʀᴇᴇɴ ɢᴀʀɴᴇʀ ᴡᴀꜱ ʙʀᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ꜱᴛᴜᴅɪᴏ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ ʙʏ ꜱᴏᴘʜɪᴇ (ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ) ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴍʏ ɪᴅᴇᴀꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴀᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʙɪᴏᴘʜɪʟɪᴀ ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛ.

ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇɴꜱɪᴛʏ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ ʙʟᴏᴡꜱ ᴍᴇ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. ɪ’ᴠᴇ ʀᴀʀᴇʟʏ ꜱᴇᴇɴ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀꜱ ɢʀᴏᴛᴇꜱQᴜᴇ ᴀꜱ ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪꜰᴜʟ. ᴇQᴜᴀʟ ᴘᴀʀᴛꜱ ɢʟᴀᴍᴏʀᴏᴜꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴏʀʏ. ɪ ᴀᴍ ʜᴏᴘɪɴɢ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴜʀᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴘɪʀɪᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪꜱʜᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ ᴡᴏʀᴋ.

ɪ ᴍᴀʏ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛ ᴀ ꜱɪᴍɪʟᴀʀ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇ/ᴍᴇᴛʜᴏᴅ ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴡᴇᴇᴋꜱ ꜱᴛᴜᴅɪᴏ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ᴡɪʟʟ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴇᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴠɪᴇᴡ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ʜᴇʀᴇ:

I watched this video for a class and it left a distinct impression on me. Tw for gore, discussion of unplesant medical realities, needles, discussion of gynecology, discussion of torture & the inhumane treatment of Black women by J. Marion Sims. The artists’ work focuses a lot on her experiences in a hospital growing up, and has a lot of sculpture that is reminiscent of disembodied parts.

I’m being very serious when I say this disturbed me (both the story of Sims and the art) and that if you watch it you won’t soon forget it (which is the artists’ goal). So do heed the trigger warnings.

At one point the artist talks about how she wishes the city would give her the head from J. Marion Sim’s statue so she could make a piece with it and I think we should give her all the heads of racist statues, now that we’re tearing them down.

J. Marion Sims is called the ‘father of gynecology’; however, his advancements in that field were the results of cruel experiments on enslaved Black women. Three of whom we know the names of, Lucy Anarcha and Betsey. During the time this piece was created, activists were protesting to get the statue removed from central park. As of 2018 his statue was to be moved to his grave (arguably, it should have been disposed of entirely). This art piece was made as a sculpture + performance piece to highlight the cruelty he comitted as well as a kind of revenge on him for his acts.