A piece by American artist Cameron Rowland was taken down from the facade of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris after the museum mentioned the piece, which includes changing the French flag with the flag of Martinique, “could be considered illegal” beneath French legislation, Hyperallergic confirmed.
The modern artwork museum decided that “Replacement” (2025), which feedback on the colonization of Martinique, an “overseas region” of France within the Caribbean, might violate legal guidelines governing the general public show of flags. Rowland’s work was a part of the exhibition ECHO DELAY REVERB: American Artwork, Francophone Thought, which opened on the Palais de Tokyo on Wednesday, October 22.
A spokesperson for Palais de Tokyo informed Hyperallergic that the museum had deliberate to incorporate the work within the exhibition for the reason that spring, however on September 18, they acquired a memorandum from the workplace of the French Secretary Common of the Ministry of the Inside associated to the general public show of flags.
The memo reiterated the “principle of neutrality” of the Conseil d’État, France’s highest administrative court docket, which prohibits the show on public buildings of symbols representing the advocacy of political, non secular, or philosophical opinions.”
The notification got here because the French authorities cracked down on the shows of Palestinian flags that had been flown at city halls in response to President Emmanuel Macron’s recognition of Palestinian statehood.
After consulting with Rowland and their gallery, Palais de Tokyo allowed the flag to hold throughout the exhibition’s opening day solely, and moved its accompanying textual content contained in the museum afterward with a notice that the flag had been excluded as a consequence of potential violations of French legislation.
A put up from Maxwell Graham Gallery included images of the up to date museum labels. (screenshot Hyperallergic by way of Instagram)
Rowland’s New York-based gallery, Maxwell Graham, first introduced the choice to exclude the piece on Instagram, posting photographs of up to date labels contained in the museum. The gallery has not but responded to Hyperallergic’s inquiries.
Martinique, situated southeast of Puerto Rico, has been a territory of France because it was colonized in 1635. It was the birthplace of Frantz Fanon, the extensively influential psychiatrist and anti-colonial theorist. In 2024, France despatched an anti-riot police drive accused of extreme drive to the island to quell protests in opposition to racial and social inequalities.
Rowland’s textual content acknowledges the unique colonization of the island and ongoing political actions. A plaque accompanying “Replacement” alludes to ongoing liberation struggles in Martinique.
“Black Martinicans have pursued the end of French rule for 390 years,” the textual content reads. “As early as 1665, black rebels in Martinique wore red, black, and green as a ‘rallying sign.’”
Rowland acquired the MacArthur “Genius” award in 2019, a no-strings-attached $800,000 grant given to artists primarily based on artistic advantage.
