For my final Intervention I want to continue being an Anti- Racism Activist. Ever since I was young I have always found it upsetting how there are so many people who are racist, and I feel like if people don't speak up and defend each other we will never have equality. This class has taught me that I should not keep quiet, and that I should fight for what is right and not allow what is wrong (racism). I know that sometimes it is rough to talk about racism because for most of us it hits home but if we don't speak about it who will. So with that being said for my final project I am thinking of making a sculpture of a colored skin woman that has went through racism in her life and how it has affected her emotionally and physically.
Those that live intersectional lives often face manifold challenges that society at large does not face. Black women exist at the intersection of racism and sexism and that level of two-fold discrimination creates challenges and barriers in their everyday lives. Indeed, the story of Black women in America is a story of pain, suffering, and struggle, but it is also the story of resilience, perseverance, and ultimately, progress. And while millions of Black women experience this very life, art allows a level of expression beyond what words can create for us. By using art as a vehicle for outreach, artists allow the public to view systemic issues from a more “safe” point of view.
One of the most prolific and well-regarded artists in this field of work is Lorna Simpson. A mixed, Afro-Caribbean and African American, woman, she has a lot of perspective into several cultures and modes of thought. Her Montage Series, 2018, is a haunting foray into the mind of the Black woman (Simpson. 2018). In dark and somber colors, a woman is displayed alternating between what seems to be a night of deep sleep and the edge of a window. There is a lot wrong within the frame: “is she dreaming of the ledge? Is she depressed and suicidal? Why is she fully dressed and in bed?” Simpson has contemplated on these images and created them as a reflection of societal views of gender and race. Life in America for many Black women feels like waking and sleeping at once: the struggles of harassment and work inequality put many of these women almost at a precipice, where they feel as though they have no way out — yet at the same time, the struggle to improve their lives drives protest, civil action, and change for the better. In a series of panels, Simpson is able to convey this dream-like haze that Black women have been living in for over 400 years.
A young up-and-coming artist from Mozambique, Cassi Namoda, has devoted much of her art to social dynamics and racial identity. Her work acts to screenshot a single moment from a larger picture, whether it’s a man waiting for a witch doctor or a nude woman combing her hair. One of her main focuses is the “decolonization of the black female body” (McClodden, 2019). Decolonizing the body means self-actualization and self-definition for black women, it means removing fetishization and growing appreciation for the female body, and not just its “blackness.” Namoda’s work often has images of women staring directly at the viewer, or sometimes directly away from the viewer; I see this as a challenge to the viewer’s gaze: “what do we look for in a woman’s body? How are these ideals shaped by society and race?” These are important questions that are heavily integrated into the experiences of Black women.
Another artist, one who has been making strides for nearly 40 years, is Mickalene Thomas, an African-American artist that uses collages and photography to explore the body. Her challenging use of angles and poses represents a challenge to the male gaze and colonialism. Two of her most striking works are “Lovely Six Foota,” and “A Moment's Pleasure In Black And White.” In each, the subject stares at the viewer while their bodies are sprawled on couches (Thomas, 2007). In “Lovely Six Foota” the woman’s legs are open but she sits taciturn almost challenging the viewer to sexual her. Powerful imagery that cuts straight to the point of the issue at hand: these are people whose forms, bodies, and identities have been co-opted and controlled for generations and this is a way of challenging said control.
Quotes
1. “A strategy is a plan made by those who have the power to predict and change the lived landscape.” (Thompson et al., 2005)
2. “[The Situationists] hysteria finds validity in the increasing privatization of culture, in the form of intellectual copyright and in the shrinkage, policing, and control of public space.” (Thompson et al., 2005)
3. “I came to the conclusion that I would have to be active in two camps: both ‘inside’, in the museum and art centres…” (Thompson et al., 2005)
All three quotes I found came from The Interventionists book. These quotes revolve around power structures and how they should be approached. Although only tangentially related in their topic, the importance of understanding power when understanding racism and sexism is key to combating it. Oppressive power structures serve to disempower the underclass and empower the majority class, by point out these discrepancies, artists and activists undermine that power structure and force the majority to come to terms with their role in it.
1. Lorna Simpson. Here and Now, 2018. Ink and screenprint on gessoed fiberglass, 2 panels
2. Cassi Namoda, Sasha and Zamani's Tropical Romance, 2018. Acrylic on canvas
3. Cassi Namoda, Nude Maria Combing Her Hair, 2020. Acrylic on canvas
4. Mickalene Thomas, Lovely Six Foota, 2007, ed. 5/5. C-print
5. Mickalene Thomas, A Moment's Pleasure in Black and White, 2008, ed. 3/5. C-print
Works Cited
McClodden, T. N. (2019). Artist Cassi Namoda and the Cinematic Image. Cultured. https://www.culturedmag.com/cassi-namoda/
Simpson, L. (2018) Montage Series, 2018. Lorna Simpson Studio. https://lsimpsonstudio.com/paintings/montage-series-2018
Thomas, M. (2007). Photography. Mickalene Thomas Studio. https://www.mickalenethomas.com/works/filter/photographs
Thompson, N., Sholette, G., Thompson, J., Mirzoeff, N., Chavoya, C. O., & Noordeman, A. (2005). The interventionists: Users' manual for the creative disruption of everyday life. MASS MoCA.
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