Artist Jackie Black Discusses ‘Last Meal’ November 27 On Parrish Livestream

On Friday, November 27, at 5 p.m., artist and activist Jackie Black will discuss “Last Meal,” her exhibition of photographs on view at the Parrish Art Museum, in a livestreamed talk with exhibition organizer Savannah Petrick.

For her images, which offer commentary on capital punishment, Black recreated the last meals and statements of 22 individuals who were tried, convicted and executed in Texas under capital punishment between 1984 and 2001. The public is invited to join the talk virtually, which is part of the museum’s online “Friday Nights Live!” series. Login information is at parrishart.org.

“I’m delighted to join Jackie Black for this important conversation about art and activism in America,” Petrick said. “After a 17-year informal moratorium, federal capital punishment resumed under the Trump administration in July, just as the United States was entering its current movement for social and racial justice. Though made almost 20 years ago, Black’s ‘Last Meal’ series is as relevant as ever.”

Petrick, a curatorial assistant and publications coordinator at the Parrish, and Black will discuss the work in the context of today’s America — a country that has had 170 exonerations since 1973, and 1,522 executions since 1976. Since it opened at the museum on August 7, “Last Meal” has garnered critical acclaim and attention worldwide in media in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, South Africa, Kenya and elsewhere.

At first glance, Black’s photographs read as staged food photos on a glossy diner menu. However, suspended against stark black backgrounds in a gallery setting — with no suggestion of social or human interaction — the images are transformed into macabre still lifes. Some of the meals read as an inventory of favorite foods, such as “Allen Castillo: 24 soft shell tacos, 6 enchiladas, 6 tostadas, 2 whole onions, 5 jalapenos, 2 cheeseburgers, 1 chocolate shake, 1 quart milk.” Menus like this, evoking Fourth of July picnic fare, are contrasted with simple requests such as “Charles William Bass: Plain cheese sandwich.” Perhaps Black’s most affecting portrait is one devoid of food or drink. “Robert Anthony Madden: ASKED THAT LAST MEAL BE GIVEN TO A HOMELESS PERSON (REQUEST DENIED.),” four lines of white type, is a plaintive appeal from a distant, disembodied source.

The public is invited to join the livestreamed talk by visiting parrishart.org. “Last Meal” is on view through January 2021. The Parrish Art Museum is at 279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill.