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Matt Bakkom believes the essence of who we are as Americans is just a nail scratch below the surface. The Minnesota artist has made a career of scouring through dusty records, exploring a changing America through documents that capture the ideas and accomplishments of everyone from the infamous to Joe the Plumber.

Bakkom's conceptual work in video and mixed media explore individual and collective behavior that ultimately shapes who we are as Americans. In 2006, he combed through 30,000 boxes of letters in New York City's archives dating back to the eighteenth century to produce The New York City Museum of Complaints, a tabloid filled with over 200 years of sniping, finger-pointing and frustration by citizens and city leaders alike. The show was critically received by New York Times critics, and dozens of booklets were handed out at a Lower East Side gallery and Manhattan parks. The conclusion: New Yorkers gripe about everything.

Now, after a year of research at the National Archives in Washington, DC, and with the help of a Bush Foundation grant, Bakkom has created Graduates, a collection of 664 portraits of US military pilots produced between 1943 and 1946.  What makes them unique are the portraits of the 332nd Fighter Group - known as the Red Tails for the distinctive color of their plane's tail, and the brown color of their skin. Black Americans knew the 332nd as the Tuskegee Airmen--black men who suffered racism, politics and war to win acceptance as one of the most decorated units of the Army Air Corps in World War II.

Bakkom talked about the significance of his new exhibit in the days before America's historic election of Barack Obama:

ROBINSON: This current political climate makes it a perfect time for this exhibit.

BAKKOM: Well, this is a special moment. It's kind of apparent; I don't know how it couldn't be. When I first encountered the images, I didn't think I'd structure them in this way - name, serial number and unit - but they felt so contemporary when I encountered them.

Maybe opening the show on November first was intentional - maybe it will help people out in this moment. Overall, (November 4th) is a very important day, but there's a lot of work after that.

ROBINSON: The photos of these men are 60 years old... but they would still face the same issues today.

BAKKOM: Obviously we've come a long way, but 60 years is not a long time. These men challenged race and class - and we're still facing the same issues. It's not as rigid, there's a lot more tolerance. They gave a contribution to America, but there are still aspects of society that are deeply prejudiced because of appearance.

ROBINSON: What do you imagine happened in the lives of these young black men after World War II?

BAKKOM: I spent a lot of time with these photos, because it was difficult to process - there's an individual aspect to this - each one has a story there, hovering on the surface...
 It's hard to imagine - Its one thing to survive war, but to return to a segregated nation... There was something I didn't include - those who graduated from the Tuskegee program before they took pictures had their home address listed. It made me suspicious because the addresses were mostly Southern boys. Some became commercial pilots - but came back home and were frustrated by the paradox. I can only imagine how frustrating that situation must've been - you come home, and you can't use the drinking fountain. Things are different now, but coming back home must be a crazy experience for black Iraq war vets, too. There's power around their particular story. They're going to have a huge challenge on their hands when they come home. What are they going to do? There are no jobs. They're trained heavily by the military, they see combat - then what? Unemployed soldiers who saw combat and come home to racism and a bad economy could become a dangerous situation.

ROBINSON: The faces of the Airmen look so confident in themselves, no doubts about what they're about to do...

BAKKOM: They knew society would change because of what they were doing. It had to be empowering. I would imaging it was an incredible opportunity they couldn't pass.

The pictures are a template - if folks want to pursue who they are, start with Google - some of the Airmen are still alive. I think three of them live in town. People can look them up. Within them, I see so much. They feel contemporary - they're people who look like people you know - these images are how it was.

ROBINSON: Did they change stereotypes?

BAKKOM: That would take a lot. There are three options in the way we see black people, like a newspaper: entertainment, sports and news. Those are most of the images we receive. A role society casts them into. If these set of images adds to the conversation about race and stereotypes, it stand in relief to a lot of ways we see those images. They recall the challenges of a different era. Bur, reflecting is good. It helps us get our bearing on what's happening now.

ROBINSON: Are there other images like these out there?

BAKKOM: Maybe James VanDerZee. He made powerful images of his time in the ‘20's and ‘30's. So much is out there and available.

ROBINSON: Do the photos and the data on them have a laboratory feel to them? Like an experiment?

BAKKOM: They're remarkable that way. I read the idea of standardized testing in the military started with the Tuskegee Airmen.  So, the lab rat thing is true. Testing to see if we're smart enough - How drastic American history is - I'm sure there are other stories in our history as complex. (Election day) might change that; that's exciting - how this will shape America. We're actually starting the 21st century. But these images were a central moment in the 20th century.

ROBINSON: Did you develop this exhibition with a Bush grant in mind?

BAKKOM: I had the idea before the grant. The fellowship allowed me to do this.

ROBINSON: You called this an American project.

BAKKOM: My friends say I'm a bit of a flag waiver, but I'm upfront about it. I'm proud to present it; the images are something could be interesting to all Americans. It's about Americans and their stories, how they appear in the moment. It's been frustrating the last eight years, seeing the Constitution taken apart. Taken over by gangsters - it's like a bad dream. So, I feel I'm contributing. It's been hard to voice dissent in this situation. This was a way to contribute to people comprehending and bring in this moment as Americans.

ROBINSON: Your wife's Colombian. Has she seen the exhibit? What does she think?

BAKKOM: She hasn't seen it, and I'm curious what she would think. Her culture's mixed; her dad's dark and her mom's light, so she has a consciousness about race. Hopefully, she'll enjoy it.

 ROBINSON: Since the world is watching our politics right now, what does your wife feel about America? I have many friends around the world who are critical of our politics, but there is something that they like about our optimism.

BAKKOM: Yes - we project that "Yes We Can" attitude. It's part of our swagger, and why people like us. There's something about being American - something different. Hopefully, it's a good start to get rid of the warmongers. There's a long history of class difference in Europe - a permanent underclass that believes that their life is what it is, and that's it. The sky's the limit here in the US. We're a frontier country of displaced people. Our state's what - 150 years old? The US - couple of hundred years... It's an adolescent swagger and naivete - that also maybe why we are in the problem we're in now.  There's a fine line with that optimism - sometimes we cross it. That could be one reason why Europeans are fascinated and happy with our election. Europe needs to understand racism - they have classism down, but they're having a hard time understanding their new immigrants - Asians, Africans, Arabs. The US has had to have a level of understanding about race just to survive. To them, the US represents eternal optimism for everyone. I think it's the only attitude to have. It's our cultural heritage, on some level. If we are optimistic, it's also because it's easier to survive here. That swagger comes from resilience and optimism, because there are so many who have it. It's not a single attitude. There's a pride. It's a nuanced thing you can't buy at a store.

ROBINSON: What's next after the Art of This exhibit?

BAKKOM: Perhaps a book next. It's difficult to say when. I have files, ready to go. Right now, my only thought is about (election day). I've thought about it for a long time.  I showed Peter Miles, a publisher with Gerhard Steidel, some of the Airmen pictures.

ROBINSON:  The way those photos were shot by military staff is amazing. The lighting, the uniforms - it's very powerful.

BAKKOM: And they're handsome - those guys are sharp! It all fits together, in some way...

ROBINSON: The beauty of this exhibit is in what you said - that it's hidden in plain sight...

BAKKOM: It's a strange situation to me... These images were made for a reason that's not clear - They seem like mug shots - they're the only pictures like this that I know of. I don't' know of any white airmen that were photographed like this. Photos can promote or control a subject at the same time.

ROBINSON: How did you find these photos?

BAKKOM: They were in the National Archives, in their own box. Someone cared about them. Again, it's a strange situation, just that they made it to the National Archives. They were made in Alabama. Now they're at College Park, Maryland. The fact they exist and now, they can be of use as moments of the past. Think about it: these guys had to ride segregated trains to get to Tuskegee; In order to see combat overseas, they had to get through training. Their record is spotless. Their history is amazing. What's almost ridiculous is not only did they serve, they were perfect. They took care of these guys who flew bombers. There was an obit in the newspaper about a World War II pilot who said in the worst of it, there were always the Red Tails, the black airmen, who protected them during missions. What an inspiring situation.

ROBINSON: You know what's interesting about these pictures? Several of these black airmen could easily pass for white.

BAKKOM: It does appear to be 1 or 2 guys who don't look like Tuskegee Airmen - it all goes back to what I said about image and representation - some look Mexican. There's even a guy who looks Asian. It speaks to who we are as Americans - diverse within that group of 664 airmen are a full range of colors on a greyscale - and there could be some white who didn't' care they were with black airmen. Our history as at least that complex. Look at the Old West. It was very diverse - there weren't just white settlers on the American frontier. It's always more complicated in this country. That's the great American machine. It's an experiment. And for the most part, it's fascinating. It's possible things are getting better.  We all can contribute to that.

Through November 30, 2008

Art Of This Gallery

3506 Nicollet Ave. S. Minneapolis, 55408

Hours: Weds 5-8pm, Sat & Sun 1-5pm