'It's disturbing and disgusting': Michael Brown's father calls for Chicago art gallery to remove live-sized depiction of his son's death

  • Michael Brown Senior said the exhibit at Gallery Guichard in Chicago 'brought the whole day back alive'
  • While Brown Junior's mother, Lesley McSpadden, was asked permission by artist Ti-Rock Moore, Brown Senior said he was never contacted
  • White artist Ti-Rock Moore's 50-piece installation slams 'white privilege'
  • Included in the exhibit is a live-size model of Michael Brown's dead body  

By Kelly Mclaughlin and Wills Robinson For Dailymail.com

Published: 18:35 EST, 14 July 2015 | Updated: 20:06 EST, 14 July 2015

Michael Brown’s father is calling for the removal of a Chicago art exhibit portraying his son's shooting death in Ferguson, Missouri. 

Michael Brown Senior said the piece is ‘disturbing’ and ‘disgusting’ and that it has ‘brought the whole day back alive’ and that he was not contacted before it was put on display.

Gallery Guichard’s exhibition features 50 pieces by artist Ti-Rock Moore which slam 'white privilege' - one of which is a model of the black teenager just moments after he was gunned down by police officer Darren Wilson.

The 18-year old is portrayed lying face down on the ground surrounded by police tape with a red baseball cap lying beside him.

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Gallery Guichard caused controversy for installing the exhibition, which includes a life-size depiction of Michael Brown's dead body after he was shot dead by police officer Darren Wilson

Gallery Guichard caused controversy for installing the exhibition, which includes a life-size depiction of Michael Brown's dead body after he was shot dead by police officer Darren Wilson

Michael Brown Senior, the father of Michael Brown, the teen who was shot dead by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri last year, called a Chicago art exhibit depicting his son's death 'disgusting', adding that it 'brought the whole day back alive'

Michael Brown Senior, the father of Michael Brown, the teen who was shot dead by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri last year, called a Chicago art exhibit depicting his son's death 'disgusting', adding that it 'brought the whole day back alive'

Eighteen-year-old Michael Brown's body was left on the streets of Ferguson for hours after the shooting
The teen's death sparked widespread protests and riots in the Missouri city

Eighteen-year-old Michael Brown's body was left on the streets of Ferguson for hours after the shooting, which sparked widespread protests and riots in the Missouri city

‘I really would like for them to take that away. I think it's really disturbing, disgusting,’ Brown Senior told KTVI. ‘I keep that thought, that picture is still in my head.’

His mother Lesley McSpadden was one of the first people to visit the exhibition. She reportedly allowed it to go ahead after the artist wrote her a letter asking permission.

‘I have no problem with the person that created it, but I think they should have reached out to both sides of the family,’ Brown Senior told KTVI. ‘Lesley and I are not together; we have two separate families. And I think they should have contacted the father.’

Brown's body was left on the streets of Ferguson for hours after the shooting which sparked widespread protests and riots in the Missouri city last year.

Slave shackles, a black Statue of Liberty and a Klu Klux Klan uniform are also displayed alongside the mock crime scene in the exhibition

Slave shackles, a black Statue of Liberty and a Klu Klux Klan uniform are also displayed alongside the mock crime scene in the exhibition

There is also a statue of Jesus Christ on the cross with a bag covering his head beneath the words 'I can't breathe'

There is also a statue of Jesus Christ on the cross with a bag covering his head beneath the words 'I can't breathe'

A Confederate flag - the source of furious debate in the United States over the past few weeks - is also included in the exhibition 

A Confederate flag - the source of furious debate in the United States over the past few weeks - is also included in the exhibition 

Moore's exhibit also features slave shackles, a noose hanging from a neon sign, a Confederate flag, a black Statue of Liberty and a Klu Klux Klan uniform alongside the mock crime scene.

The white New Orleans artist also included a statue of Jesus Christ on the cross with a bag on his head beneath the words 'I can't breathe.'

The exhibit called 'Wake Up' opened on Saturday evening and will run until August 10th - a day after the one year anniversary of Brown's death.

Brown Senior said that since his son's death, he was had good days and bad days, but hopes that being busy will keep him moving forward.

‘Staying busy is what's making it easier for me. Standing still was the hardest part,’ he said. ‘I'm moving forward, working with the youth.’

Andre Guichard, the gallery's owner, told WGNTV that the exhibit is courageous and hopes it can break down barriers.

Brown's mother Lesley McSpadden (second from right), pictured here with the artist, Ti-Rock Moore (second from left), was one of the first people to visit the exhibition. She reportedly allowed it to go ahead after the artist wrote her a letter asking permission. Brown Senior said he was never contacted about the exhibition

Brown's mother Lesley McSpadden (second from right), pictured here with the artist, Ti-Rock Moore (second from left), was one of the first people to visit the exhibition. She reportedly allowed it to go ahead after the artist wrote her a letter asking permission. Brown Senior said he was never contacted about the exhibition

Moore believes it is part of a healing process and trying to preserve Brown's memory.

However some opponents took to social media to criticize the artwork, with some suggesting they were exploiting his death.

Doretha Gill said: 'It's not about fighting. Some things are just not in good taste. As a mother, I would not want my child displayed this way.

One said: 'How is this art? Duplication of a horrific crisis. I don't like it.

Another wrote: 'People stop to look at a train wreck/dead bodies. Doesn't make it right.

'Just exploitation. No one wants to relive anyone's death over and over,' said someone only known as Scott.

As social media users condemned the exhibition, the gallery insisted there were 49 other pieces on display.

The 50-piece show, designed by white New Orleans artist Ti-Rock Moore condemn 'white privilege' in history and contemporary society

The 50-piece show, designed by white New Orleans artist Ti-Rock Moore condemn 'white privilege' in history and contemporary society

Some opponents agreed with Brown Senior and took to social media to condemn the artwork, suggesting Moore's pieces were exploiting Brown's death

Some opponents agreed with Brown Senior and took to social media to condemn the artwork, suggesting Moore's pieces were exploiting Brown's death

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