LOUIS CAMERON

Spook, 2025 is a sculpture that tackles a racial slur, touches on colorism and cultural heritage. The title suggests that the sculpture is a depiction of a ghost. The square holes in the upside down paper bag represent the hollow expression typical in such depictions. The word spook is also a racial slur towards African Americans. The use of the word is both a reclamation of the word and an indicator of a Black person. The use of the brown paper bag evokes the brown paper bag test, one used within the Black community in the 20th century comparing the skin of a Black person to that of a brown paper bag. People whose skin is lighter than the bag are given social and economic privileges that people with skin darker than the bag are denied. The work also evokes a mask. The square holes representing the eyes and mouth specifically summon masks from the Lega people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Spook contributes to a tradition of modern and contemporary art that draws inspiration from African masks while engaging with cultural issues specific to the United States.