Rocco Francisco
ART 263-2 (1094)
Professor Cacoilo
30 October 2024
The Balance of Curatorial Activism
Curatorial activism is driven by people who create and curate experiences that explore works made by a range of demographics, move past the pitfalls of an art world devoid of diversity, and give voices back to people who have historically been silenced. Kimberly Drew, Dr. Maura Reily, Steve Duncombe, Steve Lambert, and the artists who are part of the Lente Latine art exhibition are all people who champion these ideas. Through both shared and individual experiences, these people all participate in curatorial activism. Authors, historians, and curators are all activist by changing the narrative to accommodate everyone, and to dissuade both viewer and creator from making the same mistakes that were made before.
Curatorial activism is that of collecting and exhibiting art in a way that highlights works made by those outside the typical demographic of White male artists, providing a space for these otherwise overlooked artists in today's art world. The artists that are represented are given a chance to show their work in a world that has historically glossed over them. Curatorial activism is "a practice that commits itself to counter-hegemonic initiatives that give voice to those who have been historically silenced or omitted altogether—and, as such, focuses almost exclusively on work produced by women, artists of color, non-Euro-Americans, and/or queer artists" (Reilly). All of these groups of people have routinely been silenced, both in art and in other aspects of life. In art and art history, there is an attitude that "If you wanted to be in a classroom with other students of color then you should not have enrolled in art history classes” (Drew 27). This particular moment with Kimberly Drew's former professor is incredibly important, as it illustrates the commonality of this offensive nature. The art world has been dominated by a lack of diversity and focus, which at times is deliberately used against marginalized groups. Curatorial activism offers a way to display their work and give them a voice instead of allowing them to remain unheard.
Curatorial activism approaches art history in a way that acknowledges its past pitfalls while providing a future that embraces artists of all backgrounds. By focusing on art that has been made by people in marginalized groups, these people are represented when they would have previously been largely ignored. The MoMA, for example, has a "fundamental problem with this biased representation ... since its founding, it has functioned, and continues to function as an international icon, as an institution that other modern art museums have looked to as a paradigm of excellence to be mimicked" (Reilly). Highly esteemed such as the MoMA have issues that should not, yet end up being ignored. This includes that of misrepresentation and a lack of diversity when it comes to race and gender identity in the art world. If the presence of a place can these issues, it can also greatly alleviate them by correcting course today. An example of this would be that of Latin Lense, an exhibition that specifically uses photography from different Latin artists. Natali Bravo-Barbee masterfully has both aspects of curatorial activism by showing works that are simply made and representing Latin artists, and also having pieces that draw attention to certain aspects of Latin life.
The representation that is given through curatorial activism can take multiple forms. There are cases in which this activism can involve art that specifically targets the issue of stealing and a lack of a voice in the art world. For example, "Bell’s continual sampling from the master narratives of art history is one of his most powerful propagandistic weapons. Roy Lichtenstein, Imant Tillers, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns – no one is untouchable. In his hands, these ‘masters’ become slaves to his politics" (Reilly). Richard Bell's work is very interesting in its reversals and exploration of the history of popular White artists. Much of Bell's work dissects the origins of the elements that made these works popular, and who they were derived from. Examples include the dripping that Pollock is known for, and the interiors of Lichtenstein. Curatorial activism can also be as simple as showcasing a person's art. Having an artist from a marginalized background present is already a curatorial activist move. "If our process is rooted in vengeance, fury, hopelessness, or despair, our efforts will likely fail... that outrage is either going to consume us alive and burn us out, or ebb over time and leave us without motivation. Either way we won’t be artistic activists for long" (Duncombe and Lambert 59). Curatorial activism, and activist art do not necessarily need to be built on ideas of aggression.
Dakota Santiago, Working Class New York Series, 2015, Archival Inkjet Print
In the Lente Latine show, Dakota Santiago and Manuel Acevedo both have pieces that simply highlight moments in daily life from the perspective of someone with a Latin background. Manuel Acevedo describes his photographs as having representation as a subconscious aspect of art rather than always being literal; aspects of social justice have always been present in his life. Simply showcasing life through this perspective is already activist by merely existing and being viewed. In this way, pieces can be used to positively bring people together and provide voices where silence used to exist before.
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| Manuel Acevedo JUMP! 1983, Archival Ink on Canson Platine Fibre Rag, Matt with Frame Embrace, 1986, Archival Ink on Canson Platine Fibre Rag, Matt with Frame Lisy, 1983, Archival Ink on Canson Platine Fibre Rag, Matt with Frame Jstarr's Room, 1986, Archival Ink on Canson Platine Fibre Rag, Matt with Frame |
There
is an importance in highlighting what statements both the curators and
artists are making. There are a multitude of issues that deserve a
voice, with curators having the ability to create and display a
narrative, and artists having the power to use their work to drive their
points forward. "These are not issues from the past, folks. This is now. We are living and working in an art world that cares little about racism and sexism..."(Reilly). There are many aspects of life
that are still approached unfairly; nobody deserves any unfair
treatment, and the fact that things such as racism and sexism both exist
and remain accepted in many spaces is unacceptable. The exploration of these parts of life have much value, as Kimberly Drew states that "art and activism
could work together to produce a collective voice and shared community." (Drew 50). Drawing attention to these ideas is very directly activist by giving a path for an audience to think and act on instead of being overlooked entirely.
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| Qiana Mestrich, "Namesake" series, 2013, Archival Inkjet Prints on Aluminum |
Topics related to these ideas, such as that of incarceration, have been explored in works like Qiana Mestrich's "Namesake" series. This series uses images of mugshots that are blurred to the point of being unidentifiable, yet the figures in these pictures have stories of trauma behind them. These issues are not things from the past or things that should just be read from a history book, they are things that still need to be addressed today.
Curatorial activism is as complex of an idea as it is effective and important. There are many different parts of curatorial activism to consider. Kimberly Drew refers to her experiences in all parts of life, and how curation and art have influenced her. Dr. Maura Reilly analyzes curated art and how it can be activist. Duncombe and Lambert analyze how to make activist art, and how it is important while the artists and curator for Lente Latine put these ideas into play through art exhibition. Authors, historians, and curators can all be activist by each contributing to the same idea: working together to provide a voice for those who have previously been silenced in an ever changing art world.
Works Cited
Drew, Kimberly. This Is What I Know about Art. Penguin Workshop, 2020.
Duncombe, Stephen, and Steve Lambert. The Art of Activism: Your All-Purpose Guide to Making The Impossible Possible. O/R, OR Books, 2021.
Reilly, Maura. Toward a Curatorial Activism, www.maurareilly.com/pdf/essays/CIAFessay.pdf. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
Reilly, Maura. “What Is Curatorial Activism?” ARTnews.Com, ARTnews.com, 18 Nov. 2019, www.artnews.com/art-news/news/what-is-curatorial-activism-9271/.
Bravo-Barbee, Natali. Lente Latine/Latin Lens, Oct. 2024
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