'lost lux libertas' sparks dialogue about dark periods in American history

Raleigh native André Leon Gray’s exhibition, “lost lux libertas,” is on display at the The John and June Allcott Gallery in the Hanes Art Center now until Feb. 25. The title of his exhibition is a reference of the official motto of UNC, “lux libertas,” Latin for light and liberty. The exhibit is free and open to the public Monday through Friday. 

According to a press release published by the Allcott Gallery, Gray added the word "lost" to lux libertas to represent a dark period in American history, "where the favored get the rewards," but others are challenged in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

“I deal with history a lot in symbolic ways," Gray said. "My work is really thought provoking and I want people to have a dialogue and be interactive with their minds."

Gray’s art depicts images of police brutality, politics of race in America, Silent Sam and represents themes such as how history shapes power structures and the social hierarchy.

As stated in the press release, tar is one of Gray’s signature mediums that is paired with discarded objects charged with sociopolitical meaning.

“People can expect to see materials used in ways that they’ve never seen before," said Stacy Waddell, who manages the Allcott Gallery. "In one case he’s using tar as an artist would use paint — I think it's the most stunning piece in the show."

One piece about Silent Sam is called "Old Habits Are Hard to Break: A Subsidy for the Lost Cause," and depicts Julian Carr from Carrboro, a white supremacist and Ku Klux Klan supporter who gave a speech at the 1913 dedication to the Silent Sam monument. Carr is shown above a duffle bag with $2.5 million, covered in tar. On the side of the duffel bag is printed "Notorious B.O.G." 

This imagery references the $2.5 million dollar payment doled out by the UNC System to a trust set up for the Sons of Confederate Veterans, for housing and preserving Silent Sam. 

“With the political discourse surrounding the University and its choices on Silent Sam, André makes a bold statement with his pieces," Waddell said. "And not just the discourse here but the general sense of dread, frustration, even hope, that is pretty prevalent across the county no matter what political affiliation you subscribe to."

Along with different mediums, attendees can expect to see multiple sources of historical and contemporary references in his work pulled from the internet, television, films, books, song titles and comments on social media. The words written on the duffle bag in "Old Habits Are Hard to Break” — "Notorious B.O.G." — is a reference not only to the UNC Board of Governors, but also to rapper Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G. 

"Andre is a man of very, very few words," Waddell said. "His work seems to be a vehicle for him to speak and it speaks loudly. The work is something that I can relate to — most of the issues that he’s dealing with are issues that most people of color face everyday.”

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