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Stateside Podcast: Titus Kaphar on the meaning of the missing

Mario Sorrenti

Kalamazoo-born artist Titus Kaphar's work is on display at some of the premier art museums, like MoMA, The Whitney, and The Met. But these days you can also find his work in a different kind of institution. One of the pieces featured in his series "From a Tropical Place" is currently displayed at Grosse Pointe North High School.

The painting features a Black woman standing in a bedroom, holding two infants. The children are cut out of the image, leaving behind the empty space of their silhouettes. Some within the Grosse Point North High School community find it inspiring, while others are more dismayed by its meaning. On this episode of the Stateside podcast we spoke with Titus Kaphar about this particular piece, his process, and some new projects he has in the pipeline.

GUEST ON THIS EPISODE:

  • Titus Kaphar, artist

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Rachel Ishikawa joined Michigan Public in 2020 as a podcast producer. She produced Kids These Days, a limited-run series that launched in the summer of 2020.