Alena Ledeneva
Scapegoat, 2018
Antique wood, metal, fabric, horse hair
100.0 × 83.0 × 13.0 cm
When it comes to accountability, the deep pattern of informal power ascends to the Biblical character who accepts the sins of others. In the systemic context, scapegoating is a way of assigning guilt and punishment onto someone who is likely to get off with a lighter sentence. Women and youth cover up for the wise, often voluntarily. The wise would never put them on the altar, as this would draw attention to the informal pattern of guilt transfer, but one should.
When it comes to accountability, the deep pattern of informal power ascends to the Biblical character who accepts the sins of others. In the systemic context, scapegoating is a way of assigning guilt and punishment onto someone who is likely to get off with a lighter sentence. Women and youth cover up for the wise, often voluntarily. The wise would never put them on the altar, as this would draw attention to the informal pattern of guilt transfer, but one should.