Show your colours

Lees de Nederlandse versie

In his oeuvre, William Pope L. reflects on subjects such as poverty, racial issues, and social exclusion. William Pope. L: Friendliest Black Artist in America was the title of a catalogue about his work. But it is not as though he makes very cuddly art either. Pope often presents performances that have a bitter aftertaste. In one of his performances, he attempted to hand out dollar bills to drivers stopped at a red light. They ignored him completely, thinking he was a crazy beggar.

A solo exhibition by the artist is currently running at Catherine Bastide. Suspended upside down in the centre of the space, we see a doll, a combination of a female pirate and Martin Luther King. By an ingenious pump system, chocolate oozes out of the sculpture, leaving a brown puddle on the floor. Beside the chocolate puddle is a glass of milk, which may inspire the artist to another performance. In a very obvious way, Pope treats race issues in this work. You can also see 21 drawings from his “racialist drawings” on the walls, a running series about racial prejudices. On a number of sheets of paper, Pope presents various statements that – with the exception of quips like “Red People Are Black People Who Think They Are Native Americans” – are not particularly witty. The artist does, however, play with the scenography of the exhibition by placing wooden shelves on the wall between the drawings. On them, he has placed onions that are painted half red and half white, again referring to issues concerning skin colour. Two drawings, at the beginning and end of the tour, hung at knee-height and lit with a desk lamp, force the visitor to look through the eyes of a child. Pope seems to like grand gestures, as is evident from his spectacular sculpture or the way in which he plays with obvious black and white oppositions. But he never actually gets around to saying anything fundamental about racial issues.

William Pope L.: Three Projects > 31/3, di/ma/Tu > za/sa/Sa 11 > 18.00, gratis/gratuit/free,
GALERIE CATHERINE BASTIDE, rue Vandenbrandenstraat 1, Brussel/Bruxelles,
02-646.29.71, www.catherinebastide.com