Compare and ContrastOn November 19, 1971, artist Chris Burden was killed. Standing inside a spacious, empty gallery space, enclosed between white walls, he remained motionless as his friend aimed a loaded rifle at his left arm from a distance of about three to fifteen feet. A couple of people stood there and observed the scene. Moments after the installation, the trigger was pulled, simultaneously as a man stood nearby to document the event by taking a black-and-white photo, which became known as his performance art creation titled Shoot. In 1993, Chris Burden created another artwork called LAPD Uniforms, currently on display at the New Museum, New York, on the second floor. In the exhibit are copies of LAPD uniforms, complete from top to bottom, right down to the holstered guns and batons. Chris Burden made thirty of them the year after riots broke out following the resignation of officers who were videotaped beating a rowdy motorist, Rodney King. It is true that Burden inflicted pain on himself, but that does not mean that this pain brought him gratification. Nothing in Shoot's documentation implies that Burden found any thrill in the act, or any form of satisfaction. Chris Burden got shot in the arm by one of his friends, but that's about it. After being rushed to the emergency room, he simply stated the facts of what had happened, leaving the interpretation of what happened that night open to the public. Despite all the artwork produced afterward, Burden became known as "the artist who shot himself". Burden's Shoot may have resulted in him getting shot, but the title of "artist who shot himself" has far survived the tear. Therefore, regardless of the organization of the attempt, it was n... middle of paper... In summary, Chris Burden created both of these works to foment public opinion regarding violence in America, or as well as the world. In both Shoot and LAPD Uniforms, they deal with violence, strength and power. I believe Burden's work involving uniforms raises a more timely topic in today's society regarding racial profiling, due to the massive minority population boom. The LAPD uniforms had a much deeper impact on me, being a minority and all. Many police officers today, just as in the past, use racial profiling to further their investigations, as they believe that crimes committed in the past have some sort of correlation to a person's race. Furthermore, art is and will always be subjective, as the question of “what” is not as profound as understanding how or why.