Pope.L Invites Us to Think Through the American Dream
A collection of his works on paper at the Drawing Center typifies his frantic and sometimes opaque renderings of thought.
Pope.L’s exhibition "Certainly an Act" at the Drawing Center invites viewers to reconsider the concept of the American Dream through the lens of race and thought. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a painting titled "Portrait a.k.a The American Dream Is to Be Able to Think" (1989-90) by Pope.L, which features a headless man staring out with no eyes. This striking image serves as a commentary on the exclusion of Black individuals from the Dream.
Upon entering the exhibition, visitors are immediately greeted with walls filled with books, including a collection of 161 previous Drawing Center exhibition catalogues and a celebration of the Center's 162nd exhibition in partnership with the Detroit-based Black Art Library. This arrangement immediately signals the central role of Blackness in the exhibition.
The exhibition wall text states that for Pope.L, "drawing was never merely a medium but a mode of thinking about the world." This philosophy is evident in the various assemblages of black and white throughout the show, such as a white dress shirt, skinny black tie, white words set against a grainy black background, and an undifferentiated Blackness set against and within an undifferentiated America.
By challenging traditional notions of the American Dream, Pope.L encourages viewers to question and expand their understanding of thought and perception. The exhibition serves as a thought-provoking exploration of race and its impact on the Dream, particularly as we mark the 250th anniversary of its inception.
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