Deborah Oropallo and Andy Rappaport, Iran, 2024, single channel video with two-channel sound (continuous loop). Courtesy of the artists and Catharine Clark Gallery
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Protest Slogans
After the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, protestors took to the street chanting “Women, Life, Freedom”. Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman, was arrested by Iran’s Morality Police for improper hijab coverage. Police say she died of a heart attack, but eyewitnesses state Amini was severely beaten and believed the attack to be the cause of death. The phrase “Women, Life, Freedom” originates in the Kurdish National Liberation Movement in Turkey. Leaders of this movement believed that the freedom of the Kurdish people started with the freedom of women: “the first form of oppression that must be tackled is the oppression of women, since it leads to all other hierarchies.” The slogan became a rally cry against state sanctioned gender violence and policing of women’s bodies. Artist Deborah Oropallo takes images from these protests and creates a video collage titled Iran with the help of Andy Rappaport. Learn more about the history of the slogan with the link below, and find Iran in the Heiter Gallery of the Schneider Museum of Art before May 25th.
https://www.euronews.com/2023/01/11/words-have-power-what-are-the-origins-of-woman-life-freedom-iran-protest-chants
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Deborah Oropallo and Andy Rappaport, Uprising, 2021, three 4k projected videos with two-channel sound (9:33 minutes). Courtesy of the artists and Catharine Clark Gallery
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Confederate Statues
2020 saw one of the largest removal and renaming efforts of Confederate monuments in U.S. history. After the Black Lives Matter protest sparked by the murder of George Floyd, states across the country were forced to look at their history of police brutality, racial injustice, and inequality. Protestors took to the streets demanding change, with more than 2,000 protests nationwide. Grassroots organizations had been trying for decades to get Confederate statues and memorials removed, but it was the social pressure of the BLM protests that forced government officials to consider it. Artist Deborah Oropallo incorporates pictures of defaced Confederate statues being removed to create her piece Uprising. The video collage was created in collaboration with Andy Rappaport, who created the sound design and music production of the piece. Uprising can be found in the Schneider Museum of Art’s Treehaven Gallery. Learn more about how a national movement led to the removal of statues with the link below, and visit us to see Uprising for yourself.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/02/28/us/confederate-statue-removal.html
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Deborah Oropallo and Andy Rappaport, Oval O, 2018, single-channel video with two-channel sound (6:43 minutes). Courtesy of the artists and Catharine Clark Galleries.
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Marvin Gaye
Born in 1939, singer-songwriter Marvin Gaye was known for his genre hopping and versatility. He started off as a drummer for Motown Records, playing for legends such as Stevie Wonder and The Marvelettes. He broke into the top 40s as a solo artist with his single “Hitch Hike” in 1962. In the 1970s amid the Vietnam War, Gaye tested the waters with his song “What’s Going On”, which became an instant hit. The song centers love and compassion over violence and brutality. His album of the same title was full of spirituality, concerns for the environment, and financial inequality. The song “Inner City Blues” can be found in artist Deborah Oropallo and Andy Rappaport’s piece Oval O. The piece shows photos of presidents over Oropallo’s lifetime in the Oval Office. The combination of images, sound, and lyrics create a dissonance between the facade of American government and the reality of presidential decisions. Learn more about the life of Marvin Gaye with the link below, and find Oval O in the Entry Gallery of the Schneider Museum of Art.
https://www.biography.com/musicians/marvin-gaye
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From the Archive
(VIDEO) Creative Industries Discussion: Wesley Hicks 2024 VAST Resident
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