Pope.L, provocative performance artist, dies at 68
Pope.L, the Chicago-based performance artist known for his bold crawls through New York highlighting social inequality, died at home on December 23, 2023. Among his significant works are Times Square Crawl from 1978 and Tompkins Square Crawl from 1991, where he crawled on the ground. He also performed The Great White Way from 2001 to 2009, where he donned a Superman costume while crawling down Broadway. Provocative titles like Member a.k.a. Schlong Journey and a proposed title for a MoMA exhibit, 'How Much Is That Nigger In The Window', marked his career. He also called himself 'the friendliest Black artist in America' and founded The Black Factory in 2004. His latest exhibition, Hospital, is at South London Gallery until February 11, 2024.
Key facts
- Pope.L died at home on 23 December 2023
- He was known for crawling performances including Times Square Crawl (1978) and Tompkins Square Crawl (1991)
- The Great White Way (2001–09) involved crawling Broadway in a Superman suit
- He originally titled his MoMA exhibition 'How Much Is That Nigger In The Window'
- He trademarked 'the friendliest Black artist in America'
- The Black Factory (2004) was a touring van collecting 'Black objects'
- Recent exhibitions include Berlin (2022), Frankfurt (2021), and New York (2019)
- Hospital is on view at South London Gallery until 11 February 2024
Entities
Artists
- Pope.L
Institutions
- Museum of Modern Art
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Public Art Fund
- Schinkel Pavilion
- Portikus
- South London Gallery
- ArtReview
Locations
- Chicago
- New York City
- Times Square
- Tompkins Square
- Broadway
- Manhattan
- Harlem
- Berlin
- Frankfurt
- London
- United States