David Hammons, the enigmatic and celebrated contemporary American artist known for his innovative and provocative work across various mediums, including sculpture, installation, performance, and mixed media, emerged as a prominent figure in the art world during the 1960s. Throughout his career, Hammons has explored issues of race, identity, and socio-political themes, often drawing from his own experiences as a Black man in America. Renowned for his unconventional and inventive use of materials such as human hair, grease, bottles, and discarded objects, Hammons repurposes these elements to create thought-provoking works conveying powerful messages about consumerism, waste, and value.

The present sculpture, a pair of binoculars made of carved and painted wood, among other materials, serves as a provocative commentary on tourism and the commercialization of urban landscapes. This piece belongs to a series Hammons created in the early 1980s, critiquing the tourism culture of New York City during a period of significant growth in domestic tourism spurred by a nationalistic push following the bicentennial. The multi-colored paint adorning the sculpture may reference the Rainbow Coalition, a political movement primarily associated with civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, who gained prominence during his presidential campaigns of 1984 and 1988. Notably, Jackson was the subject of one of Hammons' controversial artworks, How Ya Like Me Now? (1988), portraying the politician as a white man.

The intentional non-functionality of Hammons' binoculars, crafted from solid, carved wood that obstructs our view, subverts the typical expectations of binoculars frequently used by sightseers and challenges viewers to reconsider their perceptions of urban spaces and the narratives surrounding them. This echoes the Surrealist and Dada movements' creation of absurd, unusable objects, reminiscent of Meret Oppenheim's tour de force Object (1936), featuring a fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon. The present sculpture exemplifies Hammons' consistent challenge to conventional notions of race, cultural identity, and social issues. Despite staunchly maintaining his identity as an outsider, Hammons' groundbreaking contributions to contemporary art have left an indelible mark, profoundly impacting subsequent generations of artists.