Untitled (After Robert Lynn Green Sr.), 2006 - Paul Chan
About the Work
About Untitled (After Robert Lynn Green Sr.)
When artist Paul Chan visited New Orleans for the first time in November 2006—a little more than a year after Hurricane Katrina—he was struck by the disquieting stillness: no hammer sounds banging in the distance, no construction crews ...Read More
When artist Paul Chan visited New Orleans for the first time in November 2006—a little more than a year after Hurricane Katrina—he was struck by the disquieting stillness: no hammer sounds banging in the distance, no construction crews yelling to one another, no cranes visible on the skyline. His immediate response to the city was to imagine an outdoor performance of Samuel Beckett's legendary play, Waiting for Godot. Chan explained, "There is a terrible symmetry between the reality of New Orleans post-Katrina and the essence of this play, which expresses in stark eloquence the cruel and funny things people do while they wait for help, for food, for tomorrow." Chan's production was comprised of four site-specific outdoor performances in two New Orleans neighborhoods—one in the middle of an intersection in the Lower Ninth Ward and the other in the front yard of an abandoned house in Gentilly. The project further evolved into a larger social production involving free art seminars, educational programs, theater workshops, and conversations with the community.
In this photograph, Robert Lynn Green Sr., a resident of the Lower Ninth Ward, holds a sign created by Paul Chan that reflects the first three lines of Waiting for Godot. These signs could be found posted on lampposts throughout New Orleans, acting as an indirect marketing campaign to alert residents of play's performances in the Lower Ninth Ward and Gentilly neighborhoods.Read Less
In this photograph, Robert Lynn Green Sr., a resident of the Lower Ninth Ward, holds a sign created by Paul Chan that reflects the first three lines of Waiting for Godot. These signs could be found posted on lampposts throughout New Orleans, acting as an indirect marketing campaign to alert residents of play's performances in the Lower Ninth Ward and Gentilly neighborhoods.Read Less
About the Artist
About Paul Chan
Born in Hong Kong, raised in Nebraska, and currently living and working in New York City, Paul Chan began his art exploration with photojournalism before ...Read More
Born in Hong Kong, raised in Nebraska, and currently living and working in New York City, Paul Chan began his art exploration with photojournalism before branching out into drawing, animation, and video. His work engages with fundamental themes including politics, poetry, war, and death. A political activist as well as an artist, Chan is known for his presentation of dualities: violence and joy, utopia and apocalypse, the Bible and the Marquis de Sade, Samuel Beckett and hip-hop.
Chan has lectured and taught in the Graduate School of Fine Arts, University of Pennsylvania, and at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, among other institutions.Read Less
Chan has lectured and taught in the Graduate School of Fine Arts, University of Pennsylvania, and at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, among other institutions.Read Less
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Description
Chromogenic print of color photograph.Authentication
Signed by the artist.Shipping
Ships in 10-14 business days.This work is final sale and not eligible for return.
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