George Floyd, Stephon Clark, Sandra Bland; New York exhibit presents them as celebrants and not victims

BY STEVEN KASZAB

There is an art installation in New York you should all see, or at least consider seeing. It is the Birthday Party of those who have been killed by Police in America.

All right. I can see a bunch of you shaking your heads.

Please read on. This art presentation celebrates these unique individuals and the lives they led.

The Iranian American filmmaker Mohammed Gorjestani’s digital projects present these individuals, and their family members in an interactive and emotional manner. Birthday messages from their family and friends may create an emotional tidal wave, and why not?

Mario Woods, Tony Robinson, Sean Monterrosa, Donovan Lynch, Xzavier Hall, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant, Fred Cox, George Floyd, Stephon Clark, Sandra Bland and many more. Not just names, or pictures picked by their families appear. They are presented as celebrants and never victims.

This is about who these people were and honouring them while bringing to light that they really were. You may learn about how to deal with family trauma, grief and even mental illness under the lens of people of colour. Yes, these people are indeed victims of our society’s prejudices, but this presentation is about so much more. Can we become better, smarter and more loving people?

A large part of this exhibit is concentrating on how to heal. The exhibition welcomes all, and one can find police officers intermingling with the crowd, often in an emotional way. Some of the celebrant’s shooters have in fact visited this exhibition. Healing of all involved is intended and encouraged. A place where celebrities and working folk walk the passageways in: silence, contemplation, or joyful laughter.

High tech imagery beside screens of: simple but powerful texts, emails and photos. You see the struggles the families of the celebrants are experiencing, while they seek justice for their loved ones.

As Anais Nin wrote, “Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we do not know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness, errors and betrayals. It dies of illnesses and wounds. It dies of weariness, of withering and tarnishing.” 

If we learn anything about such a celebratory exhibition, it is that death has many faces, and the love these people experienced in their lives can and does live on.