Here, Let Me Fix That for You

 

If the shoe fits ...

This bit of conceptual art is in the atrium of the Art Gallery of Ontario. I came upon it after viewing their Andy Warhol exhibit. It is meant, the sign explains, to memorialize the children who died iin the Indian Residential Schools.

It is an embarrassment. However you might feel about the children who died in the Residential Schools—not a surprising number, after all; in those days, child mortality was high—this fails as art. It demonstrates no skill or craftsmanship. It lacks all originality—there are similar displays of shoes conveying the same message all over Canada. It gives us no new perspective on anything. It is not beautiful. It is hackneyed. It is also hate speech.

I have a simple solution. All that is needed in order to make it interesting and transgressive is to change the title. Here’s mine:

“Abortion.”

I urge the gentle reader to carry posters and a staple gun for the next time you see one of these displays.