In Memoriam: 1968 – 2022
John Sims, an accomplished artist and activist, is known for his profound contributions to the world of art and his unwavering commitment to social change. His unique artistic style, combined with his passion for addressing societal issues, has made him a notable figure in the contemporary art and math scene.
Article From
LA MAMA — Experimental Theater Club
“Entirely sonic, the Sims piece is based on a single familiar song, ‘Dixie,’ composed for pre-Civil War minstrel shows and meant to mock clichés of ‘happy’ Black slave life. (It’s possible that its lyricists were Black.) Later, with altered verses, it became the national anthem of the Confederacy, and then the canonical expression of Lost Cause nostalgia in the Jim Crow era. Sims doesn’t rewrite the song; he simply records it being performed by Black musicians in a range of Black music styles — gospel, blues, soul, hip-hop — undercutting, through genius appropriation, its white supremacist punch.”
The New York Times — Art Meets Its Soundtrack Deep in ‘The Dirty South’
John Sims, a Detroit native is a conceptual artist, writer and social justice activist, who creates art and curatorial projects spanning the areas of installation, performance, text, music, film, and large-scale activism, informed by mathematics, design, the politics of white supremacy, sacred symbols/anniversaries, and poetic/political text. For 20 years he has been working on the forefront of contemporary mathematical art and leading the national pushback on Confederate iconography.
His work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN, NBC News, USA Today, NPR, The Guardian, ThinkProgress, Al Jazeera, Art in America, Hyperallergic, Sculpture, Science News, Nature and Scientific American. He has written for CNN, Al Jazeera, The Huffington Post, Guernica Magazine, The Rumpus, and TheGrio.
