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15-07-2021
Mark Quinn
📍️ Edward Colston’s Empty Plinth,
Bristol
Bristol
Mark Quinn, ‘A Surge of Power (Jen Reid)’: A surge of whose power?
‘A Surge of Power (Jen Reid)’ - a sculpture of a female black activist - has meaningfully occupied Colstons’ empty plinth, created by Marc Quinn and erected in the early hours of this morning.
Is this an example of Quinn using his power and privilege to amplify black voices, or is he centring himself at a pivotal moment in black history? Could he have collaborated with an emerging black sculptor?
Equally, the subject of the piece (Reid) argues Quinn has ‘always cared about pushing inclusion to the forefront’, ‘it’s not about black or white’… it’s about ‘support’. Does asking these questions undermine the powerful anti-racist message on display?
