# Edgar Arceneaux: Until, Until, Until…The Presidential Bookend Series (2015-2020)

URL: https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/edgar-arceneaux-until-until-until-the-presidential-bookend-series-2015-2020/
October 24 — December 12, 2020 · Online Only · Artists: Edgar Arceneaux

Vielmetter Los Angeles is pleased to present an exhibition of new photographs by Edgar Arceneaux, entitled *Until, Until, Until…The Presidential Bookend Series (2015-2020)*. Marking Arceneaux’s eighth solo presentation with the gallery, the online exhibition features eight key photographic compositions archived from the performances of *Until, Until, Until…* — Arceneaux’s first live work, investigating the infamous 1981 performance ( and its aftermath) of Broadway legend Ben Vereen, televised nationally – but not in full, as part of Ronald Reagan’s inaugural celebration. This suite of photos represents a graceful distillation of the arc and breath of this tragic story.

Ben Vereen, then a nationally celebrated Broadway and television actor, presented an homage to vaudevillian Bert Williams – America’s first mainstream Black entertainer as his offering for the Reagan inauguration. The final five minutes of Vereen’s performance, a biting commentary on the history of Black performance, assimilation into white norms, and white supremacy, was censored for the television audience. As a result, there was a national outrage against Vereen, who performed in Black Face, as vaudeville performers had been required to do, which ultimately derailed his career and reputation. Arceneaux’s work, *Until, Until, Until…* is based on the footage that never aired that night in 1981. This piece questions the truth of past narratives and creates an opportunity to reconsider our collective understanding of historic events.