A piece of art that aims to counter the controversial Confederate statues prevalent throughout the South will make its debut this fall in Times Square.
The Times Square Alliance, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) and art gallery owner Sean Kelly announced Thursday that famed black artist Kehinde Wiley will debut his next piece of work, "Rumors of War," at Broadway Plaza between 46th and 47th streets, on Sept. 27. The bronze sculpture will depict a black man dressed in modern-day clothes mounted on top of a horse, similar to the ones of Confederate generals seen in states like Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.
Wiley said the sculpture’s theme is about the "fetishization of state violence," and Times Square was the best location to emphasize that theme to the world.
"To have the "Rumors of War" sculpture presented in such a context lays bare the scope and scale of the project in its conceit to expose the beautiful and terrible potentiality of art to sculpt the language of domination," he said in a statement.
The sculpture will remain in New York until December and then be moved to its permanent home, outside the entrance to the VMFA.
"We are honored to be premiering this historic work, and to join the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in supporting Wiley’s contribution to this important national conversation," Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins said in a statement.
