Grand Terrace

Grand Terrace by Banksy, part of the Museum of Contemporary Art's exhibition, "Art in the Streets"

Grand Terrace is one of the iconic street artist, Banksy's, less well-known works. This is an interior installation, showcased in the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. It commemorates the 20th anniversary of the beating of Rodney King.

The scene is nearly identical to the video recorded on the night of March 3, 1991, when King was beaten with batons, despite being already subdued. The video is replicated here, down to the pixelization and the time stamp, freezing this moment in history. We can see the movement in the officer's stances, but it remains frozen and bizarrely calm. Members of the LAPD stand about, watching. Their faces have been obscured in the painting, and thus seem perfectly calm and blank. There is no emotion there, nothing to suggest they aren't simply battering about a child's toy.

The form of Rodney King has been replaced with a cheerful pinata, which stands out from the otherwise monochromatic image. This disarmingly innocent object thrust into a scene of violence is innately disturbing. The officers are painted as children, happily beating away to reach the prize of candy, some of which is scattered across the concrete. This highlights their unwillingness to view King as a human. To them, he really is just a pinata. Just a black. Grand Terrace forces the viewer to acknowledge this objectification. This dehumanization and racism is what allowed all officers to walk free, acquitted by a jury of their white peers.

The beating of King was, indeed, nothing unusual. He was not an outlier, but rather a case in point of the LAPD's racial brutality. His case was simply captured in film, from a nearby balcony. The painting's name, "Grand Terrace" references that balcony. Banksy calls it out grandiosely, which highlights it's significance as a viewing platform. After the video was publicized, the whole city saw the brutality from that terrace. The scene sparked a riot that tore the city apart.

~ Nichole Lasater

Sources:

“Banksy at MOCA- How Much Will You Pay Me?” Melrose and Fairfax, 20 Apr. 2011, melroseandfairfax.blogspot.com/2011/04/banksy-at-moca-how-much-will-you-pay-me.html.

Lee, Joyce. “Banksy: Art in the Streets at MOCA, Los Angeles.” Designboom | Architecture & Design Magazine, 5 July 2011, www.designboom.com/art/banksy-art-in-the-streets-at-moca-los-angeles/.