“2020 is a year that I hope and know that we’ll never forget.”
That’s what West Philly artist Brian Bazemore (BCASSO) says of his larger-than-life artwork Remember, currently on display at the Hatfield House in East Fairmount Park. The towering piece spells out MMXX, the roman numerals for 2020.
Measuring 12 feet tall and 36 feet long, Remember is BCASSO’s largest piece of artwork to date. What started as a small, 3-foot-tall model was brought to life thanks to the help of Tiny WPA, says BCASSO. The lawn at the Hatfield House was a perfect setting for his larger-than-life artwork: “I knew that because of the pandemic, we could not create art for the inside of this building. So I walked the grounds of the Hatfield House and it was just a perfect fit. You have this big, giant white mansion and all this lawn space, and it was a perfect fit.”
Brian Bazemore enlisted the help of design workshop Tiny WPA to bring his artwork to life. Photos courtesy of Tiny WPA.
The roman numerals are also painted in symbolic colors of red, black, and green. “Red represents fire, blood, heat, war, and strength,” explains BCASSO. “Black is mourning, sexuality, and power. Green is misfortune, renewal, and fertility. I think they represent the things that are happening in the world today.”
A canvas accompanies the sculpture. BCASSO, who works with found objects and text, explains that the canvas is a series of written words that encompasses all of the events and stories that affected him in 2020, from “COVID-19” to “Black Lives Matter” to “George Floyd” and “Breonna Taylor.”
“Every day for me is a story and I chose to use this canvas to document things that spoke to me on a daily or weekly basis.”
BCASSO wants visitors to reflect on what they want or don’t want to remember about 2020 when they visit Remember. Says BCASSO, “It’s history. As an artist I want to make history and I want to be able to leave history.”
Remember is currently display on the grounds of the Hatfield House at 33rd and Girard through the end of April. The grounds are open for visiting daily. Learn more about the Hatfield House here.
Remember at the Hatfield House was made possible by the support of the Knight Foundation.
