Who gets to choose? What voices are heard? Are other opinions taken into consideration?
In their current installation work, NYU Dept. takes an abstract stance into themes of power within the institutional context. This multi-layered exhibit aims to question the structures of the department by asking the audience to “choose your chair”. Presented in each window is a glance into the lives of four different potential chairs to choose from, each representing different personalities, expressed by the items in their lives. The group aims to concentrate on the revealing and dismantling the power within the NYU art department. The installation is a space for NYU Dept. to come together as activists in constant question of the structures within a neoliberal institution.
Moving forward after the exhibition, DEPT. will continue to challenge oppressive structures at play here, and within NYU at-large. They will continue to be relentless in their demands for authorship, cultural freedom and decolonization. What does decolonization look like? What does a present where we have authorship, and cultural freedom look like, feel like?
DEPT. was formed in 2016, through the efforts of multiple students in the department. It was started primarily by women of color, with vulnerable immigration statuses, financial precarity, and innumerous burdens from the outside world. It was started by women of color, who have been incredibly strong and resourceful in the constant fight against patriarchy and white hegemony. This strength is what brings this moment of collectiveness to you. This strength is what asserts confidently, we are here to stay.
