Matthew Fontaine Maury monument (1929) by artist Frederick William Sievers with graffiti (2020) from Richmond, VA . Photo credit: John McDonnell/Washington Post
MONUMENTS
Forthcoming Fall 2025
Co-organized and co-presented by MOCA and The Brick, MONUMENTS marks the recent wave of monument removals as a historic moment. The exhibition reflects on the histories and legacies of slavery and the Civil War as they continue to resonate today. It brings together a selection of decommissioned monuments, many of which are Confederate, with pre-existing and newly commissioned contemporary artworks that address American history and national identity.
Removed from their original outdoor public context and installed within the galleries of MOCA and The Brick, the decommissioned statues featured in MONUMENTS will be shown in their varying conditions, from unmarred to heavily vandalized. The selection of monuments comes from a group of nearly 200 that have been taken down in the past decade, though many more currently remain standing.
MONUMENTS will be accompanied by a scholarly publication and a robust slate of public and educational programming.
MONUMENTS is co-organized by The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and The Brick, Los Angeles. The exhibition is co-curated by Hamza Walker, Kara Walker, artist, and Bennett Simpson, MOCA Senior Curator, with Hannah Burstein, The Brick Curatorial Associate, and Paula Kroll, MOCA Curatorial Assistant.
For further information, please contact Curatorial Associate, Hannah Burstein at The Brick.
For press and communications inquiries, please contact Melissa Parsoff of Parsoff Communications