Shibboleth
Shibboleth is a piece of art work done by Doris Salcedo at Tate Modern Museum in Turbine Hall in London, England. The picture shows a simple crack in the concrete that goes through the whole building. The crevices are covered with a steel mesh material that is supposed to show tension between the two elements. The artwork represents racism and colonialism in the modern world. Shibboleth means belonging to a particular social group. The long stretch across the hall shows the long path of racism that has been going on in our world. The crack is dark, jagged, but the top layer is a bright gray color.
I think the purpose of this piece is to show how the world is affected by racism. Everything may appear to be perfectly fine on the surface, but if you look closer you can see the cracks. The cracks are portrayed as gloomy and rough, to represent the way racism affects people. The mesh fence against the concrete are two completely opposite components that don’t fit well together, kind of like how human equality and racial comments don’t fit well together.
This has helped people to see how the world really appears when you take a closer look. It makes a person think, “Did I help create this crevice in the world?” ?” According to http://www.tate.org, “For hundreds of years, Western ideas of progress and prosperity have been underpinned by colonial exploitation and the withdrawal of basic rights from others.”
Title: The Unilever Series: Doris Salcero, Shibboleth
Source: Internet: http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/dorissalcedo/default.shtm
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