The Ephemeral Nature of Monuments

Cat Dawson’s new book, “Monumental: How a New Generation of Artists Is Shaping the Memorial Landscape,” explores the evolving nature of monuments. By analyzing contemporary artworks like Kara Walker’s “A Subtlety” and Lauren Halsey’s “the eastside of south central los angeles hieroglyph prototype architecture (I),” Dawson reveals how these works, from 2014 to 2023, challenge traditional monumentality by emphasizing histories of racial and gender violence while critiquing the conventions of static memorials. This shift—dubbed a “monument boom”—highlights the fluidity and impermanence in modern narratives, contrasting the rigid, glorified past often epitomized by traditional monuments. The book underscores the importance of questioning who benefits from these constructs and their actual societal role, especially amid contemporary debates like the potential restoration of Confederate monuments and the Trump administration’s “National Garden of American Heroes.” Through artworks and scholarly reflection, Dawson’s book prompts a critical reassessment of monumental power and its capacity to shape, or be reshaped by, current and future generations.