Ken Gonzales-Day's Erased Lynching Series Examined in New Article
In her piece for Art and Cake LA, Victoria Thomas explores Ken Gonzales-Day's Erased Lynching series, focusing on the issue of lynching in the American West. His publication, 'Lynching in the West 1850–1935,' reveals 354 lynchings in California, with victims from Latinx, First Nations, and Asian American communities. The Erased Lynching series (2006) uses digital manipulation to remove victims from historical images, shedding light on systemic racism and colonialism. The article also highlights Gonzales-Day's installation at the Wilshire/Fairfax Metro station, which includes glass murals from LACMA. It references notable lynchings, such as those of Laura and L.D. Nelson (1911) and Emmett Till (1955), linking these events to modern incidents like George Floyd's murder and the January 6 Capitol riot, urging viewers to reflect on the implications of atrocity photography.
Key facts
- Ken Gonzales-Day is a Silver Lake-based photographer and artist.
- His book 'Lynching in the West 1850–1935' documents 354 lynchings in California.
- The Erased Lynching series (2006) digitally removes victims and ropes from historic lynching photos.
- His Metro installation 'Urban Excavation' features glass murals of over 70 objects from LACMA.
- The NAACP reports 4,743 known lynchings in America between 1882 and 1968.
- The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act was signed into law on March 29, 2022.
- The article references the 1911 lynching of Laura and L.D. Nelson in Oklahoma.
- The article discusses the neurological response to witnessing violence, including dopamine surges.
Entities
Artists
- Ken Gonzales-Day
Institutions
- LACMA
- NAACP
- Luis De Jesus Los Angeles
Locations
- Silver Lake
- Wilshire/Fairfax station
- California
- American West
- Okemah, Oklahoma
- Cairo, Illinois
- Temple, Texas
- Money, Mississippi
- Belgian Congo
- Saigon
- Sudan