“Seize the Moment”
This piece is a pyramid of seven golden tennis racquets rewired by hand to show the images of Naomi Osaka in the 2020 US Open along with Tommie Smith and John Carlos in the 1968 Olympics raising their fists. Both images will not appear simultaneously until a light casts a shadow of the piece. The base suggests that the actions of Tommie Smith and John Carlos are what planted the seed for athletes to seize the moment of victory the same way that Naomi Osaka did.
Videos Below
Background
2020 US Open
During the 2020 U.S. Open, Naomi Osaka wore seven masks for every round of the annual tournament. Each mask named a Black person whose death has sparked global protests about racial injustice. After winning the U.S. Open’s singles tournament, she expressed that the masks were her way of using her platform to protest the injustices in this country.
Seizing the Moment
There is an amazing intersection in these two stories. These were arguably the most important victories for the three of these athletes, and they decided to use their grandest moment to send a message and invoke conversation about our nation’s most prominent issues.
1968 Olympics
In the 1968 Summer Olympics, Tommie Smith and John Carlos used their medal wins as an opportunity to highlight the social issues that were rampant in the United States at the time. These men were frustrated and sought to take more action during the Civil Rights movement. Prior to the Olympics, both Smith and Carlos helped coordinate the Olympic Project for Human Rights. This group saw the Olympics as an opportunity to demand better global treatment of Black athletes and people. It included hiring more Black coaches and cancelling invitations to cities that practiced apartheid.
