I Am Because We Are: Names and Their Meanings in Art and Memorials

In I Am Because We Are, Rodney Love examines the use of names in art and memorials, and relates them to three series of his own artwork. The chief concern is with the dynamic between the individual and the collective. Lists of names establish the individuality of the people commemorated, but they are presented as indissolubly part of a larger group. I Am Because We Are examines a number of memorials to show how design elements reflect changing social conditions, and the commemoration of different groups. Those examined include World War I memorials, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and memorials for those who have died in the Holocaust and the AIDS epidemic. Love suggests that artworks and memorials are potent as carriers of symbolic meaning because they allow space and time for contemplation. While memorials necessarily have a public, commemorative role, art tends to be more personal, and often autobiographical. Art works discussed include those by Jim Dine, Tracey Emin, and Cornelia Parker. Love also includes a special focus on the oeuvre of Christian Boltanski, who regularly uses ideas of the individual within the group, and who has made much use of memorialising tropes.