Dread Scott “makes revolutionary art to propel history forward.” Although his primary focus throughout his career has been on the experience of African Americans in the United States, the three symbols he explores in his series “Obliterated Power”, undoubtedly touch us all—architectural and visual projections of the three branches of American government and power. Scott remains sincere in his desire for a better society for all of us. He is fiercely critical, with a mordant sense of humor, while encouraging the viewer to re-examine the ideals of American society.
For this series of large scale screenprints, Scott has selected photographs of three symbols of American power and “obliterated” them with hand additions. For the first time in his impressively diverse practice, he puts painting and drawing front and center. His vigorous and gestural drawing was translated into layers of subtly colored screenprints, printed over the archival inkjet photo background.
Although Scott has had the idea for quite a while, and the work on the series started in early 2022, the current events make the images particularly germane today.
Courtesy of Lower East Side Printshop, New York.