Art is a well defined form of expression that is loved by millions of people around the world. But when asked about famous artists throughout history, names like Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Van Gogh would come to mind. What’s common about these artists is that they are white men. One issue with big art exhibitions in museums and famous galleries is the lack of diversity amongst the artists. “Growing up, I barely knew any black artists, and as I got into college, I realized that I still didn’t know that many black artists… It made me think the same thing, “why do I only know white artists and barely any black artists?” (Drew, 19). It is rooted within a systemic power to idolize white male and their successes. Not often do we see or talk about black artists, asian artists, or hispanic artists in the mainstream world. Most often we are taught earlier on in life about successful white male figures like Da Vinci and Van Gogh as it is the “Important” American history we needed to know. The lack of diverse representation in art is why the creation of curatorial activism is so impactful to art. Curatorial activism was created to tackle issues like the lack of diverse representation in art exhibitions. It gives power to the people to voice their expressions through art no matter the skin color or gender, but that is easier said than done. “These mainstream master narratives of art, in which large constituencies of people are ghettoized and excluded for the big-white-boy narrative,” (name, page). For centuries it has been normalized to keep art that is not from white men out of art exhibitions. Not only is this racist and sexist, but this can also damage the knowledge we can gain from different cultures represented from art. The lack of diversity in art is common knowledge, but unlearning those traits is the hard part. Kimberly Drew is one of the many powerful voices today that continue to fight through curatorial activism.
Kimberly Drew had a first hand experience of what it was like to be a black woman in the art world. A pivotal point in her career was when she was told she would never make it as an artist by her white teacher. She also learned as she got into college the lack of knowledge schools gave about black artists. It was through her own investigation and will power, was she able to learn about black artists that create art just as beautiful as the white male figures we idolize in the art world. “Instead of leading with rage, she helped me understand this difficult crossroads. By the end of the meeting, she asked me to think deeply about what I wanted to say and, more importantly, how I wanted it to be interpreted. It was not just enough to be angry. I had to be strategic”(Drew, pg. 43). Through her investigation, Drew found out about the horrible system that isolates the white artist above all other artists. What had set Drew to become extremely vocal about black artists representation was the announcement of the artists that would be shown at the Whitney Museum in 2014. Out of 103 artists in the exhibition, only six of those artists were black artists. Drew was ready to march across the world to stand up for black artists after this incident, but her mentor Thelma had urged her to find other avenues to represent for the minorities. It was then that she created her own blog to post about black artists, which gave an avenue for the art world to become more diversified. Kimberly Drew is a prime example of using one’s voice to help minorities surpass the system that plays against them. She has shown that anyone can use their voice to speak up. Another example of a voice that has helped the minority community is the Guerrilla Girls
The Guerrilla Girls is a group of anonymous women who formed a group in 1985 to combat the lack of diversity in art exhibitions. The Guerilla Girls is an unapologetic force that leads their members to create/recreate art that taunts at the racist and sexist ideologies in the art world. “Why in 1987 is Documenta 95% white and 83% male? A public message from the Guerrilla Girls,” (Guerrilla Girls – 'You Have to Question What You See', 3:27). The Guerrilla Girls would straightforwardly challenge the normalized bigotry of white male domination in the art world. What I love about this group is the unorthodox ways of which they go about their curatorial activism.
What I love about this piece that we have on the blog is how much of a slap in the face it is to the art world. This shows how women are represented in art. To show their natural beauty, women have to be naked right? That's what many historic male artists would think, but the Guerilla Girls think otherwise. This art piece itself is a good representation of the lack of understanding between the privileged and the minorities. For women to be presented in art, they need to be seen nude. If they are nude, then the art is considered good, but if not then it is more than likely disregarded. This art piece is one of many the Guerilla Girls posts around New York City to combat the traditions set in the art world.
Connected by Ben Jones is a piece that is extremely vibrant and has deep layers of interpretation. What stood out to me about this piece was the light bulb at the center and the “randomness” of different items spread throughout the art. At first glance each item does feel random and out of place, but when you take a second to process the painting, you can see that all aspects of the painting were purposefully placed there. The planets, phone, lightbulb, computer hardware, fish, seeds, and plants can be seen throughout the painting. But how do these items connect to each other? To show the connectedness of all the items, the artist name used squiggly lines to link each item together. Prof. Jones has many art pieces with squiggly lines on it and the lines are used to show energy. From that interpretation, we can infer that the lines are used to show the connective energy between all the items. The connectedness between all the items has a very deep and meaningful insight. From an activism art standpoint, the connectedness of the items can mean the importance of the relationship between different aspects of life. Plants, fish, and solar panels are all sources of energy and phones and hardware require energy. Without plants, nature, and animals we would not be able to survive. We are always so focused on technology and being on our phones we can sometimes forget about taking care of our planet.
Benin images is one of the many activism art pieces by Prof. Jones. Black arts movements is one of the many activist groups that Prof. Jones is in. It goes without saying that activism is a core part of what makes up his character. Bening Images is a great show of how Prof. Jones spreads activism with his art. In the art work, there are many African people wearing traditional clothing. But if you look closer you can see some of them wearing fancier clothes and crowns which indicates that they are kings. Between the kings are guards that help show the power the kings have. In general with the colors, clothing, and traditional symbolism, Jones is able to expressively show part of the culture in African history. When Prof. Jones had originally spoken about the piece, I was very surprised that I knew very little of what he was talking about. What I took away from the art is not much of the art itself, but the message behind what he said. We are all individuals with identity, so we should know about what makes us who we are. Bening Images helps inspire me to look deep within myself and my Thai heritage. Since talking with Prof. Jones I have begun to research Thai history and its art.
Drew, Kimberly. “This is What I Know About Art.” Penguin Workshop. Pp. 1-66.
Reilly, Maura. “What is Curatorial Activism?” ArtNews. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/what-is-curatorial-activism-9271/
TateShots. “Guerrilla Girls – 'You Have to Question What You See'.” Youtube, uploaded by Tate, 5 October 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uKg7hb2yoo.
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