
Damnatio Memoriae (black)
2011
A fiberglass statue is encased and obscured by a thick, consuming layer of black polyurethane, rendering the figure beneath unrecognizable and erased from view. Van Woert references the ancient Roman practice of "damnatio memoriae," or condemnation of memory, in which all traces of a disgraced individual were deliberately destroyed. The work raises questions about power, history, and the violent act of erasure.
- Medium
- fiberglass statue and polyurethane
- Spotted At
- Auction House · Phillips
🔨 Auction Lot
New Now
February 28, 2018
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