Laocoön by Sanford Biggers
Sanford Biggers is a Harlem based, African-American interdisciplinary artist who works with numerous mediums. One of his most famous works is his political and controversial sculpture titled Laocoön. The sculpture depicts a large inflated black male figure lying prone, dressed in a red shirt and blue trousers. Bigger’s intention for creating Laocoön is multilayered, but let’s start with thinking about the work through the lens of the Black Lives Matter Movement.
First exhibited as a part of a solo exhibition in 2015 at the David Castillo Gallery in Miami Beach, the sculpture attracted immediate attention from viewers due to the crucial connection it has with the Black Lives Matter Movement. In the case of Biggers’ sculpture, it is vital to draw attention to the foreshadowing nature of the work, as it almost resembles a warning sign for the countless losses of Black lives, including the murder of George Floyd in 2020 - and consequently, BLM coming to the fore on a global scale. Exhibition goers expressed that the work is a poignant reminder of the systematic racism and police brutality that still exists today.
Biggers represents an image of struggle through the use of air in his work. With the continuous deflation and inflation of the sculpture, we are reminded of the intensity of breath. Here I think of Eric Garner’s last words, ‘I can’t breathe’, which in recent years have become significant in the wider contextualisation of the Black Lives Matter movement. The damaging and systemic effects of white supremacy are embodied in the artwork through repetition and endurance, challenging racial inequalities by creating a powerful picture of exhaustion.
The title of this particular work contains a direct reference to the Greek mythology figure, Laocoön. Laocoön had the ability to foretell the future, but most notably during the Trojan war, Laocoön’s advice was ignored by the Trojans in the wake of his death and Troy was later destroyed. Ignorance towards Black Lives is narrated metaphorically through Biggers’ decision to use this title, as well as the continued inaction to fix a broken system which is repeatedly costing Black people’s lives.
Biggers’ Laocoön can also be read differently, as the work depicts the cartoon character Fat Albert from Bill Cosby’s Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. This cartoon was the first in the U.S to represent an African American character, whose experiences were based on Cosby’s childhood. Bigger’s had created Laocoön in 2015 in the wake of Cosby’s sexual assault charges, therefore, it is arguable that Laocoön could be a metaphor for Cosby’s dying reputation as an American icon. By depicting Cosby’s character Fat Albert, it demonstrates a juxtaposition between the reality of a hero being shot and an ordinary person being shot. Is Laocoön paying for the sins of his creator, Bill Cosby? Is Biggers trying to rewrite history by depicting the fall of Cosby, an icon?
It is apparent that Biggers’ Laocoön is controversial, provocative and multilayered, but I would argue that this work is a direct call to action. Racial inequalities are pulled to the forefront of this work in order to evoke an emotive reaction, and it’s up to the audience to digest this information and make meaningful change.
The real question is are we closer to achieving racial equality? I would argue that there is still a long way to go.
Images
Sanford Biggers (2015) Laocoön Available at: http://sanfordbiggers.com/archives/gallery/laocoon
