MONUMENTS at MOCA and The Brick Examines Confederate Statues

The "MONUMENTS" exhibition, collaboratively organized by The Brick and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles, contrasts 19 contemporary artist commissions with decommissioned American monuments to explore the racialized narrative of monument creation in the U.S. Curated by Hamza Walker from MOCA, Bennett Simpson from The Brick, and artist Kara Walker, the display includes Confederate statues like those of Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis, and Matthew Fontaine Maury, removed from their original settings and showcased at MOCA Geffen. Artists critique and reinterpret these symbols, with Bethany Collins's "Love is dangerous" (2024–25) recounting the first Memorial Day by formerly enslaved Black individuals in Charleston, South Carolina. Walter Price's "Cadence" series (2022–24) presents abstract oceanic paintings that challenge Maury's militaristic legacy. Cauleen Smith's "The Warden" (2025) uses a CCTV camera to scrutinize the "Vindicatrix" statue from the Jefferson Davis Monument, subverting surveillance. Kara Walker's "Unmanned Drone" (2023) at The Brick transforms Charles Keck's 1921 equestrian statue of Stonewall Jackson into a headless horseman, representing the shortcomings of official memory. The exhibition poses the question of whether the removal of racist monuments addresses historical injustices or merely serves as a symbolic act.