When you turn the corner and enter the exhibition, you’re taken to the new – albeit familiar – world of the Vesper family. The Vesper family is a 19th century family of mixed heritage who was able to “pass” as a white family, despite being seen as “Negro” in the eyes of the law. The head of the Vesper family, Abram Vesper, was formerly a slave in Brazil who later become a navigator, merchant, and came to own a small shipping company. He lost his only son during a war, and so he relies on establishing his legacy through his three fair-skinned daughters. He hopes to marry his youngest to the son of a shipping magnate before it’s discovered that she is pregnant, completely destroying any chance at a financial merger. This begins a domino effect as their public image slowly unravels, which leads to the public discovery of their racial secret. What follows is a tragic and violent downward spiral that destroys everything Abram Vesper had accomplished in hopes of immortalizing his family name.
This is the magnificent stage that Titus Kaphar sets up in his exhibition. He claims to have been inspired by a descendant of Abram’s named Benjamin, who had a mental breakdown at one of Kaphar’s other exhibitions and was sent to a hospital. Kaphar, curious …show more content…
He takes from his own experience as a black man and truly loses himself in his own art, and though the Vesper’s biographies are fictional, it doesn’t mean that there wasn’t a family somewhere that experienced this exact same situation. The 19th century was a time of outstanding brilliance and technological improvement, but on the social level, it was a complete mess. The high-society of the Victorian era influenced America greatly, making it so that the public image was just as important as one's financial standing. Two pieces, in particular, reflected these
This is the magnificent stage that Titus Kaphar sets up in his exhibition. He claims to have been inspired by a descendant of Abram’s named Benjamin, who had a mental breakdown at one of Kaphar’s other exhibitions and was sent to a hospital. Kaphar, curious …show more content…
He takes from his own experience as a black man and truly loses himself in his own art, and though the Vesper’s biographies are fictional, it doesn’t mean that there wasn’t a family somewhere that experienced this exact same situation. The 19th century was a time of outstanding brilliance and technological improvement, but on the social level, it was a complete mess. The high-society of the Victorian era influenced America greatly, making it so that the public image was just as important as one's financial standing. Two pieces, in particular, reflected these