A new essay written about the East Side's Heidelberg Project calls the decades-old installation a meditation on God and a symbol of spiritual fortitude. We've all seen the brightly painted circles and sneakers hanging from trees, but Suzette Martinez Standring's interview with Tyree Guyton goes beyond the art to find the metaphysical metaphors in his work. An interesting piece, for believers and art-appreciators alike.
Excerpt:
One fanciful
creation was made up of sneakers, sandals, wingtips and platform shoes
that hung like ornaments from a fat tree. But an amusing first
impression belies the pain behind "Soles of the Most High." Guyton, an African-American artist, said his grandfather used to tell
him stories about "Negro lynchings," (where) "you couldn't see the people, but
you could see the soles of their shoes."
Yet the artwork goes beyond hatred. "It is a haunting reminder of
lynchings in the South, but today the positive message is that we are
lifting up the souls of the community," said executive director Jenenne Whitfield.
Read more
here.
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