Kris Graves American Monuments photograph portfolio, 2020

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Summary

Creator:
Graves, Kris, 1982- (Photographer) and Klein, Dustin, 1987-
Abstract:
Kris Graves (1982- ) is an artist and publisher based in New York and California. The portfolio is made up of 16 images taken by Graves which speak to the Black Lives Matter civil rights movement as well as to public opinion about Confederate Civil War monuments. The photographs he shot at dusk and at night in July 2020 capture a series of projections superimposed onto a 60-foot tall statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, once part of Richmond, Virginia's iconic Monument Avenue. Run by multimedia artist Dustin Klein, the projections feature the faces of recent Black victims of white violence, including Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Christopher DeAndre Mitchell, Deborah Danner, Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. Several other photographs were taken by day and include a self-portrait at Stonewall Jackson's grave, and a monument in Tuskegee, Alabama, shrouded in a blue tarp. Includes printed sheet with essay by Diana McClure. Acquired as part of the Archive of Documentary Arts at Duke University.
Extent:
1.5 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
English
Collection ID:
RL.11990

Background

Scope and content:

This photography portfolio is made up of 16 images taken by Kris Graves which speak to the Black Lives Matter civil rights movement as well as to public opinion about Confederate Civil War monuments. The photographs Graves shot at dusk and at night in July 2020 capture a series of projections superimposed onto a 60-foot tall statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, once part of Richmond, Virginia's Monument Avenue. The statue was removed from this location in 2021. Run by Dustin Klein, a Richmond-based multimedia artist, the projections feature the faces of recent Black victims of white violence, including Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Christopher DeAndre Mitchell, Deborah Danner, Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. A few other images were taken by day and include a self-portrait of the photographer at Stonewall Jackson's grave, and a monument in Tuskegee, Alabama, shrouded in a blue tarp.

The portfolio is number 9 of a limited edition of 15 and is housed in a blue fabric-covered clamshell box. It includes sixteen 16 x 20 inch color pigment inkjet prints, signed, titled and numbered, as well as a printed broadside sheet with an essay on Graves' work by Diana McClure, a writer, artist, photographer and cultural producer based in Brooklyn, New York.

Biographical / historical:

Kris Graves (b. 1982 New York, NY) is an artist and publisher based in New York and California. He received his BFA in Visual Arts from S.U.N.Y. Purchase College and has been published and exhibited globally. He is currently on the faculty of The New School / Parsons School of Design, New York.

Artist's Statement: Graves creates artwork that deals with societal problems and aims to use art as a means to inform people about cultural issues. Using a mix of conceptual and documentary practices, he photographs the subtleties of societal power and its impact on the built environment. He explores how capitalism and power have shaped countries - and how that can be seen and experienced in everyday life. Graves also works to elevate the representation of people of color in the fine art canon; and to create opportunities for conversation about race, representation, and urban life.

[Source: Artist's website, viewed March 15, 2022]

Acquisition information:
The Kris Graves American Monuments portfolio prints were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 2021 and were acquired with partial support from William Singer.
Processing information:

Processed and described by Paula Jeannet and Prakruti Kumar, March 2022.

Accession(s) represented in this collection guide: 2021-0126.

Physical facet:
16 prints; 1 printed sheet
Dimensions:
sheet size: 16 x 20 inches
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. Images may only be used for educational, non-commercial purposes; any other use requires the photographer's permission. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Kris Graves American Monuments photographic portfolio, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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