Antony Gormley realising someone got to the Colston plinth before him

got so many messages from people sayin they had an issue with the fact it was Marc Quinn who’d done the rogue sculpture installation rather than a Black artist, and tbh a lot of the messages were people saying ‘er is it okay that I feel weird about this?’ Your instincts are right

As Larry Achiampong raised, if he’s got the means, couldn’t he have facilitated young Black artists to make something instead of centring himself? https://twitter.com/ilona_sagar/status/1283412157804183552?s=20 https://twitter.com/ilona_sagar/status/1283412157804183552

So SUSPISH that the first line of Quinn’s announcement is him stressing that the subject of the sculpture Jen Reid collaborated at every point in this process, as if that exonerates him. I respect her agency completely but isn’t this what the white art world always does?

The institution keeps comfy and only hands out scraps to make itself look good (because looking good is more important than good things happening to people who need a leg up; because real structural change will threaten the comfort it has enjoyed). Marc Quinn is the institution.

transcript from Larry Achiampong's video (text below)

‘The situation with the Marc Quinn sculpture is sad, it’s a sad joke, one that is not funny. The point of all of this is about the redistribution of equity, of power, so by simply putting up a sculpture that yes - looks way better - it’s not enough.'

Who’s being given the opportunity? Who’s being given the chance? Even if it were this - even if it is all simply from Marc Quinn’s own money, that still kinda doesn’t matter. Why not support some young Black artists to make something and to put something up there,

to give them time, to give them space. So let’s be honest, as much as there are some white people who are doing the work, who are genuinely doing the work and I see that, a whole lot of you are taking this moment as a fucking festival.

You’re taking it as a fucking festival. Notting Hill Carnival aint fucking happening so in the kindness of all our little white hearts we’re gonna go and do - get the fuck out of here.

Get the fuck out of here. Just stop for a second, seriously. Sometimes the best thing you can actually do when you’re part of the problem is just stop. STOP. Take your hands away, stop putting your hands on it. Leave it.

Stop for a moment. And maybe there’s some space for you to actually think about what it is that can be done, can be better. '

Also just to add another Marc Quinn artwork into this thread so that you know his vibe the man’s made an artwork from the blood of refugees. What is going through his head