Sweep At The Audubon Ballroom

10.23.92
30" x 40", mixed media

Life only appears to have its own special irony, sometimes overt, sometimes needing interpretation. A relative of the artist was making a documentary for the movie "Malcolm X" and wanted to film the exterior of the Audubon Ballroom. This is where Malcolm X was assassinated. Instead what they came upon was a huge police action accusing just about everyone in the neigborhood of the solicitation of drugs. The police sweep hauled all pedestrians and residents of the adjacent apartment buildings up to the walls of the Audubon to be frisked. The incident was filmed. At the time, there was talk of that the Audubon and its surroundings would be torn down and the real estate developed. The body posture of those put up against the wall remind one of the man they came to commemorate after all,...X.