Pope.L
Historical Suit
Information about the artwork
- Year1991-2019
- MaterialTompkins Square Crawl suit, peanut butter, wood, MDF, fabric, insulation foam, screws, hanger, snap buttons
- Dimensions82.6 x 179.1 x 26.7 cm
- Year of acquisition2023
- Inventory numberUAB 1321
- On viewGround floor
- Copyright© Pope.L, Courtesy of the artist and Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York
More about the artwork
The original pinstriped suit worn by Pope.L in his 1991 performance “Tompkins Square Crawl” is displayed here in an open shipping crate. The “Historical Suit” (1991–2019) is smeared with peanut butter, a substance the artist calls “brown goo,” which he often uses in his works along with the “white goo” of mayonnaise. This play with color and unconventional material not only attests to Pope.L’s disarming as well as humorous exploration of the relationship between consumerism and racism. As in his performances, here he overtly addresses the complex and ambivalent representation of Black identity in a white-dominated American culture.
