Once you walk into Paul Rucker’s exhibit, “REWIND,” it’s like the strike of a cord. You’re on the verge of tears; the edge of the abyss. It’s heart wrenching from the last words of victims circulating the tops of the walls to the cellos and violins carved into frames on the wall. The cellos and violins are reminiscent of coffins with their slender shape and smooth surfaces, which represent the women, men, and children who perished due to social injustices and violence. The world turns a blind eye toward discrimination, but in this exhibit the wound is open and oozing for all eyes to see. We say racism only happened in the olden days, but it’s happening today. Rucker shows us both the past and present of violence and discrimination.
Cello music plays in the background while you walk through the exhibit, creating a somber atmosphere for the viewer. Mannequins of children and adults dressed like the Ku Klux Klan in multicolored fabrics stand in a circle facing outwards. You can’t see their faces, but they could be anyone, a neighbor, a teacher, or a family member. Racism is taught. Children don’t grow up thinking that African Americans are bad. Someone taught them to hate them.
Rucker’s exhibit “REWIND” stays with you even after you leave. It lingers in the back of your mind and resurfaces when you’re writing a paper, eating dinner, or on the phone. Rucker created an exhibit that will make you question social discriminations that the world encompasses in the past, present, and potentially the future.
Will the world ever be able to change its racial discriminations?
“REWIND” is on display from August 31 to October 21, 2017 at the York College Galleries in York, PA.