In the Shadow of Monumentum... The War on Statues

University essay from Lunds universitet/Avdelningen för konsthistoria och visuella studier

Author: Anna Fernsten Nilén; [2023]

Keywords: Public Monuments; Affective Economy; Iconoclasm; Cultural Memory; Statue Trashing; Black Life Matter; Arts and Architecture;

Abstract: In the Shadow of Monumentum... the War on Statues explores the last decade's violent protests on colonisation and institutional racism leading to the vandalisation, defacing and in some cases removal or toppling of public monuments. The study explores the chronological events surrounding 4 monuments depicting Edward Colston, Cecil Rhodes and Mary Thomas - “Queen” Mary. Including the persons depicted and the monument's individual history, applying theories of cultural memory, affective economy, object’s agency and iconoclasm with the aim of contributing to a deeper understanding of the complex nature of decision-making and debate surrounding public monuments today.

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