Starting today, 22 March, the artwork #HEWILLNOTDIVIDEUS by Shia LaBeouf, Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner is back on show — in the somewhat unlikely location of Liverpool, UK. Having first opened at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York on 20 January, the day of Trump’s inauguration — with Jaden Smith repeating the artwork’s title phrase over and over for hours into the livestream — the work was shut down following Shia LaBeouf’s arrest for pushing away a right wing antagonist, as the museum considered that it had become a “flashpoint for violence”.
The show then opened in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but shots were reportedly heard nearby and it was shut down again. Next, it opened in a secret location, but that was discovered by right wing Reddit nuts, so now it has moved even farther afield, opening at the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT) in Liverpool.
Explaining the move, the artists note that, “Events have shown that America is simply not safe enough for this artwork to exist”. The location of the work in Liverpool is particularly poignant for Luke Turner, who was born in nearby Manchester and grew up in the North West. Turner adds, “We are proud to be continuing the project at FACT, an arts centre at the heart of the community.”
The livestream from Liverpool is currently showing a flag with the phrase “He Will Not Divide US” billowing in the wind, against a cloudy sky.
Credits
Text Charlotte Gush
Image courtesy Labeouf, Rönkkö & Turner via He Will Not Divide Us