Fons Americanus

Fons Americanus was a sculpture, taking the form of a functional fountain adorned with allegorical scenes and figures, created by American artist Kara Walker. The sculpture was housed in the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall from late 2019 to early 2020, and was destroyed at the end of its time there.

Fons Americanus
ArtistKara Walker
Year2019
LocationLondon

Development and presentation

The work was commissioned by the Tate Modern for its Turbine Hall, part of a series funded by the Hyundai Motor Company.[1] Other artists whose work has been featured in the Turbine Hall as part of the series include Tania Bruguera, Philippe Parreno, and Abraham Cruzvillegas. Walker was inspired by the Victoria Memorial, which she first saw from the window of a car.[2]

Walker personally designed models for the figures on the sculpture. This involvement differed from the process of creating her 2014 sculpture A Subtlety, where teams created the work, guided by Walker's drawings.[2]

Form and materials

The work was 13 meters tall and was a fully functional fountain. The sculpture was made of cork, metal, and wood coated in jesmonite designed to be recyclable.[3][4] The fountain includes sculptures evocative of the Atlantic slave trade and history of slavery in British colonies. These culminate in a female figure at the top of the fountain, from whose breasts and slashed throat the fountain's water originates.[5]

Reception

Interpretation

The statues on the fountain deal with the slave trade and the impact of European settlement and exploitation on Africa and in the Caribbean.[6] Walker has indicated that the Victoria Memorial on The Mall inspired her work; like Fons Americanus, the memorial includes allegorical statues, figures, and scenes.[5]

Many of the sculptures on the fountain allude to other artistic works and to historical events. These include paintings such as John Singleton Copley's Watson and the Shark and Winslow Homer’s The Gulf Stream.[3]

Critical reception

In a review for the Financial Times, Rachel Spence praised the work for "[rising] to the challenge" of the Turbine Hall.[7] She further praised the use of water due to the noise it provides, comparing it favorably to "sound art" reliant on audio recordings.[7]

The 2021 music video for "Don't Judge Me" by FKA twigs, Headie One, and Fred again.. featured Fons Americanus in several scenes.[8] Co-director[9] Emmanuel Adjei said, "In this audio-visual document we get to witness artists FKA twigs and Headie One, amongst other Black British influentials, fighting against invisible forces of judgement and oppression. Having the enormous Victorian-inspired fountain Fons Americanus by visual artist Kara Walker—depicting the historical, sorrowful story of slavery and colonization—as our setting, and particularly as the spirit of the film, this important monument creates another layer of depth and meaning to an invisible yet shared history."[8]

References
  1. Martin Bailey (20 January 2014), Tate signs £5m sponsorship with Hyundai Archived 22 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine The Art Newspaper.
  2. Mitter, Siddhartha (30 September 2019). "Kara Walker Takes a Monumental Jab at Britannia (Published 2019)". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  3. Harris, Gareth (4 October 2019). "The Empire strikes back? Kara Walker's fountain makes a splash at Tate". www.theartnewspaper.com. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  4. Reiner-Roth, Shane (9 April 2020). "Kara Walker's heavily attended Fons Americanus sculpture to be demolished". The Architect’s Newspaper. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  5. Jade Parker, Rianna (26 February 2020). "With Her Monumental Fountain in London, Kara Walker Offers a Gift We Shouldn't Accept". ARTNews. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  6. Bidisha (5 October 2019). "Kara Walker: Fons Americanus review – monumental rebuke to the evils of empire". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  7. Spence, Rachel (1 October 2019). "Kara Walker at Tate Modern — a fierce, funny diatribe against the British empire". www.ft.com. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  8. Hussey, Allison (26 January 2021). "Watch FKA twigs' Video for New Song With Headie One and Fred again." Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  9. "FKA Twigs and Headie One fight invisible forces of oppression in powerful 'Don't Judge Me' video". NME. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
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