Pope.L Black Domestic a.k.a. Cow Commercial 1994

  • Not on view

In Black Domestic a.k.a. Cow Commercial, Pope.L roams the streets, tunnels, and buildings of midtown Manhattan dressed in a pastel suit and carrying a black-and-white plastic cow. Performing as a sidewalk oracle, he makes religious and philosophical declarations that border on the absurd. At one point, he installs a miniature American flag in the anus of the cow—the animal is conspicuously marked as “SOLD”—then sticks an empty wine bottle labeled “RACE” into its mouth. Partly a spoof on the popular 1990s advertising campaign “Got Milk?,” Black Domestic parodies racial stereotypes that turn identities into consumable commodities.

Gallery label from October 21, 2019–February 1, 2020
Medium
Video (color, sound; 2:49 min.); cotton button down shirt; plastic cow figurine and brown leather belt
Credit
Acquired in part through the generosity of Jill and Peter Kraus, Anne and Joel S. Ehrenkranz, The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art, The Jill and Peter Kraus Media and Performance Acquisition Fund, and Jill and Peter Kraus in honor of Michael Lynne
Object number
81.2019.1-4
Copyright
© 2021 Pope.L. Courtesy of the artist.
Department
Media and Performance
Research in progress; information about this work may be incomplete.

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