Glenn Ligon: Going There (review)

GLEN N LI GON: GOI NG T H ERE D'Ame lio Terras Gallery Ne w Yor k Nov 8 - Dec 2 3 , 2 0 0 3 Going There, Glenn Li gon's lat est exhi bi t i on at D'Amelio Terras Gallery, int roduces f our l oosel y connect ed el ement s assembl ed as an i nvest i gat i on of chi l dhood, memory, and t he pol i t i cs of color. St r i ki ngl y ant i -aest het i c when considered al ongsi de t he art ist 's overall career, Going There present s a pared-down syst em of si gni f i er s t hat super f i ci al l y accesses di scour ses of t rauma and alt erit y, but ul t imat el y prohi bi t s t he viewer f rom int imat el y engagi ng wit h his per sonal r umi det rit us t o cult ural art if act . Adj acent t o t he smal l drawing i s a pai nt i ng f rom Li gon's recent body of work, collect ively named Colorings. This pai nt i ng, once l ost in t r ansit and lat er recovered , i s now present ed separat ely f rom i t s or i gi nal cont ext . Ent it led Malcolm X (version 1) #0, t hi s large canvas f eat ures a sil kscreened line drawing of t he charismat ic ci vi l right s leader, reproduced f rom an Af rocent ric col or i ng book popul ar in t he 1970s. Int er est i ngl y, Ligon has not onl y recreat ed t he or i gi nal page f rom t he chil dren's book, but t he col ored marks t hem sel ves; Mal col m's hair is gessoed out wi t h a t hi n w ash of whit e and his eyes are hooded by blue shadow s. Bot h cheeks are rouged wit h crimson circles, and his lips are simil arl y reddened, paying lit t le at t ent i on t o t he cont our s of his mout h. The ef f ect gi ves Mal col m X t he appearance of a Baechler, in part icular, has been known t o pay st rangers for t heir doodl es, whi ch he t hen t ransf ers ont o richly t ext ured canvasses. Ligon simil arl y asked young chi l dren t o color t he source i mages, whi ch he t hen re-present ed in gallery ready, l arge-scal e f ormat . Unf ort unat el y, whil e t hi s pai nt i ng provides a spr i ngboar d f or t he exhi bi t i on, it ref lect s neit her t he f l ash of Basqui at 's paint erly dext erit y, nor t he of f -handed vi r t uosi t y of War hol 's desi gns. Though it appears cohesi ve when reproduced in print , t he or i gi nal most desper at el y l acks any at t ent i on t o mat erialit y. Viewed wi t hi n it s new mat rix, Malcom X becomes an expl orat ion of chi l dhood memory, ideol ogy, and nebul ous i ssues of i dent i t y f ormat ion mediat ed t hr ough t he aest het ic. A series of ei ght let t er-sized si l kscr eens recreat e det ai l ed report cards r oughl y spanni ng f i nds st andar d soci al st udi es uni nt er est i ng and, as yet has devel oped no soci al conscience. He t ends t o be pol it ical l y apat het ic about being black, whi ch i s...