In *Shibboleth* (2007–2008), Doris Salcedo created a subterranean crevice that bisected the concrete floor of the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall. Which of the following best explains how this work functions as both a political statement and an institutional critique?
- ABy blending indigenous Andean pottery techniques with Western minimalism to document the syncretic religious history of South America.
- BBy using negative space to create a purely formalist, optical illusion that challenges the visitor's sensory perception of architectural stability.
- By physically fracturing the museum floor to symbolize the deep social divisions, borders, and systemic exclusion of marginalized immigrants within Western society.Answer
- DBy referencing neoclassical allegories of civic duty to advocate for the democratic reform of modern museum governance.
Answer
By physically fracturing the museum floor to symbolize the deep social divisions, borders, and systemic exclusion of marginalized immigrants within Western society.
The correct answer is correct because Doris Salcedo's *Shibboleth* uses the physical intervention of a rupture in the Tate Modern's floor to criticize the invisible but rigid boundaries that divide Western societies from the rest of the world. The crack serves as a metaphor for the experience of immigrants who face systemic exclusion, racism, and barriers when attempting to enter or integrate into Western cultural and political spheres.
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Key Concept
Political Activism and Institutional Critique in Global Contemporary Art