2020

THE CLOTH OF STATE references a controversial show of solidarity that illustrates the difficulty of making appropriate anti-racist gestures. On June 8, 2020 Democratic members of the US Congress donned Ghanaian kente-cloth stoles before kneeling in silence in memory of George Floyd, the African American killed two weeks earlier by a white police officer kneeling on his neck. This performative move, organized by the Congressional Black Caucus, was widely discussed in the media, criticized by both sides of the political spectrum, and objections were voiced by many people of color. In the 1800s, kente cloth came to symbolize Black independence and opposition to British rule. Later, the textile originating in today’s Ghana became a symbol of African American identity in the United States.

THE CLOTH OF STATE is a canopy made of strips of fabric printed with kente patterns. It spans the staircase of the Künstlerhaus Wien, welcoming and sheltering visitors. The title, however, refers to the baldachin placed or carried over the throne of the monarch, thus exemplifying the privileged position most visitors to the exhibition are likely to occupy in relation to the Black Lives Matter movement. Austrian mainstream society is white, allowing its members to choose whether or not to deal with racism – while people of color do not have that choice.