(Miami Herald) Though Art Basel is still six weeks away, Opa-Locka got a jump on Miami’s annual art love affair Tuesday, unveiling a new public sculpture by acclaimed artist Hank Willis Thomas. Thomas’s work, “All Power to All People,” an 800-pound, eight-foot-high aluminum afro pick held by a clenched fist, recalls the civil rights and black power movements at a time of economic and racial divide.
“The city of Opa-locka has a rich history, and I am very glad to be a part of it,” Thomas said via a statement. “The small monument speaks to the history of black Americans. It is a symbolic gesture but a potent one, as the imagery has long been connected to beauty, cultural representation and self-love.”