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Apollo
Art Diary

Arthur Jafa

4 December 2020

While some museums are closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Apollo’s usual weekly pick of exhibitions will include shows at institutions that are currently open as well as digital projects providing virtual access to art and culture.

At the heart of this exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk is Arthur Jafa’s famous video work Love is the Message, the Message is Death (2016), which combines viral videos with historical footage of figures such as Martin Luther King, Barack Obama and Serena Williams. Set to a score by Kanye West, the work is a visceral exploration of the discrepancy between how Black celebrities are treated in comparison with the rest of the African American population in the US. It is shown alongside a selection of other videos and sculptures – including new commissions by Louisiana – that convey the artist’s shrewd perspective on questions of race and celebrity in the United States. The exhibition runs from 9 December–9 May 2021; find out more from the Louisiana website.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary here

Love Is The Message, The Message Is Death

Love Is The Message, The Message Is Death (video still; 2016), Arthur Jafa. © Arthur Jafa

Love Is The Message, The Message Is Death (video still; 2016), Arthur Jafa.

Love Is The Message, The Message Is Death (video still; 2016), Arthur Jafa. © Arthur Jafa

Big Wheel II (2018), Arthur Jafa.

Big Wheel II (2018), Arthur Jafa. © Arthur Jafa

APEX (video still; 2013), Arthur Jafa. © Arthur Jafa