MoMA issues official apology to artist Heather Agyepong
London-based visual artist Heather Agyepong was recently ejected from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, following which the museum issued a public apology. This incident occurred in an installation that was categorised by MoMA as a “safe space for Black visitors”. However, that wasn’t the experience for Agyepong, who was asked to leave the premises after an exchange with a white visitor.
According to a video posted on Twitter by Agyepong, she was visiting the Black Power Naps installation created by artists Navild Acosta and Fannie Sosa. When she heard a white woman laughing disrespectfully, Agyepong told her: “I think the space is centred around Black people”. In the video, Agyepong recalled that the visitor claimed that the artist was being aggressive toward her which resulted in her ejection.
Responding to the incident, co-creator Navild Acosta said: “We insisted as soon as we were first contacted that this piece needed a serious commitment to anti-racism and that not doing so could warrant violence to our community, and we have been insisting ever since. It is only now that they are recognising how urgent this is and willing to remunerate this labour. It’s been an uphill battle. In January, we ourselves were told to be quiet in our own installation by a white visitor.”
A spokesperson for MoMA also issued a public apology and promised to do better: “We reached out to Heather Agyepong and apologised. We are committed to presenting programs that move race equity values forward, and we acknowledge there will be challenges to work through and learn from as we support and invite artists and audiences to engage on these important issues.”
Watch Heather Agyepong’s original tweet below.
