Sails

The LA Clippers’ namesake, the clipper ship, was known as the fastest sailing vessel in the world. It is no coincidence that the team uses this name proudly, possessing their own speed and elegance. The Clippers add to this propulsion a desire to create platforms for social consciousness. Glenn Kaino, born, raised, and still residing in LA, is his own sort of clipper ship, an artist who consistently believes in the forward momentum that art can possess to build community and create change in the world. 

Kaino’s Sails is a near life-sized, black painted steel and wood clipper ship that combines what he loves most: art, social justice, and basketball. The work begins with the metaphor of the ship’s sails, which here take the form of backboards and basketball nets. For Kaino, sails are what propel a ship forward. By transforming them into backboards and nets, he reminds us that our shared love of basketball builds community, which can only strengthen our shared humanity. The power of basketball to aid in change was evident in 1963, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ambassador Andrew Young entered neighborhoods just weeks ahead of their March on Selma, Alabama. Their goal: get young people to understand the importance of standing up for civil rights. Their method: play basketball. The Clippers continue to uphold this legacy for social change, donating $10 million to renovate basketball facilities in more than three hundred parks across LA, one of the most significant commitments of its kind.  

Kaino’s Sails reminds us of the unique ability of basketball to see a larger picture for the world. The backboard sails of his ship don’t just resemble the pristine equipment in the Intuit Dome; they reference those found on home courts throughout the city, bringing together the community and the team. Ultimately, Kaino uses basketball as a canvas for expression. It is the wind in the sails that unifies people, bringing them into a new future and propelling the clipper ship like a ball swishing through the net.

—Denise Markonish, Chief Curator, MASS MoCA

Glenn Kaino (b. 1972, Los Angeles) is an artist known internationally for his expansive vision and activist-minded practice, which encompasses painting, sculpture, installation, performance, monumental public art, theatrical production, and feature film. Examining a wide range of political, social, and environmental issues in his work, Kaino takes a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to art making. His work brings together systems of knowledge, forms of production, and people that do not normally have a chance to connect, and often involves long-term partnerships with a diverse array of visionary collaborators. Kaino is also an Emmy and Webby Award-winning producer and documentarian, whose films have been featured at the Tribeca Film Festival and SXSW.