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7/11/2013

Meditations of the Emperor

Mark Fletcher, New York

At Mark Fletcher’s space at 24 Washington Square North, BHQF will present “Meditations of the Emperor,” a human-scale recreation of the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, the ancient Roman bronze statue dating to 175 C.E., known as the only fully preserved bronze statue of a pre-Christian Roman emperor. The original bronze, which depicts the philosopher king as a merciful conqueror, resides in Capitoline Museums of Rome. This ancient bronze is said to have served as the model for the Equestrian Statue of King George III of England that stood in New York City’s Bowling Green until 1776, when it was dismantled and converted into musket balls for use by George Washington’s army in battles of the American Revolutionary War.

At Mark Fletcher, the Foundation’s version of the Equestrian Statue will be rendered in high-density foam, plaster, burlap, gold leaf, two-channel video, and car speakers on a powder coated aluminum base. Televisions replace the heads of the emperor and his horse, broadcasting a video essay inspired by Marcus Aurelius “Meditations,” a collection of notes Aurelius wrote to himself, recapitulations of the Stoic philosophy by which he lived. The artists’ video is a montage combining hundreds of found video clips and quotations tracing a course between formal figurations of power through the ages, and a young woman's monologue about her everyday confrontations with powers beyond her control. The sculpture and video will be accompanied by a large-scale painting depicting the ass of Aurelius’ horse. According to BHQF, “Meditations of the Emperor” explores “the desire of those in power to be simultaneously loved and feared, and the empathic fantasy of talking to animals.”

Opening Reception: Friday, November 8, 6-8PM

Mark Fletcher
24 Washington Square North, New York

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