Post-black art

Post-black art is a phrase that refers to a category of contemporary African American art.

Thelma Golden claimed to have coined the term ‘post-black’ art with friend and artist Glenn Ligon in the late 1990s. [Thelma Golden, "Freestyle", exhibition catalogue. (New York: Studio Museum in Harlem, 2001), 14.] In 2001 the phrase was explained in detail in the exhibition catalogue for The Studio Museum in Harlem’s exhibition entitled "Freestyle". "Freestyle" was an exhibition that included twenty-eight up and coming artists of African American backgrounds. Golden defined post-black art as that which includes artists who are “adamant about not being labeled ‘black’ artists, though their work was steeped, in fact deeply interested, in redefining complex notions of blackness.” [Thelma Golden, "Freestyle", exhibition catalogue. (New York: Studio Museum in Harlem, 2001), 14.] She continued, “They are both post-Basquiat and post-Biggie. They embrace the dichotomies of high and low, inside and outside, tradition and innovation, with a great ease and facility.” [Thelma Golden, "Freestyle", exhibition catalogue. (New York: Studio Museum in Harlem, 2001), 15.] Laura Meyers interprets this as “cutting edge works that are defined by not being defined as African American art.” [ Laura Myers, “African American art moves beyond black and white; collectors, curators and galleries are embracing a greater diversity of genres and styles in African American art while other artists move toward a ‘post-black’ art which cannot be defined in terms of race,” "Art Business News" Jan 2003] Golden stated her initial interest as an attempt to remove some of the negative associations with the phrase black art as well as comment on the diversity of artists of African descent. [“Thelma Golden, Curator,” "gothamist.com" April 27 2005] In the exhibition catalogue, Golden proclaims, “Post-black was the new black.” [Thelma Golden, "Freestyle", exhibition catalogue. New York: Studio Museum in Harlem, 2001: 14]

As Golden explained, post-black art refers to a younger, post-Civil Rights generation of artists who are in search of a language through which they can explore their artistic interests and identities. Because artists of African descent have historically been marginalized and left outside of the general discourse on Western art history, there has not been one style or school of African American art. [Laura Myers, “African American art moves beyond black and white; collectors, curators and galleries are embracing a greater diversity of genres and styles in African American art while other artists move toward a ‘post-black’ art which cannot be defined in terms of race,” "Art Business News" Jan 2003. ] The term ‘post-black’ attempts to encompass artists who have a variety of backgrounds and experiences, but all share experiences as a person of African descent.

While the notion of ‘post-black’ attempts to avoid identity labels, the title of ‘post-black’ serves as an ethnic marker. Some have found fault with this terminology, stating, “racism is real, and many artists who have endured its effects feel the museum is promoting a kind of art – trendy, postmodern, blandly international – that has turned the institution into a ‘boutique’ or ‘country club’, as David Hammons puts it.” [Deborah Solomon, “The Downtowning of Uptown,” "The New York Times" Aug 19 2001.] Golden has even stated that ‘post-black’ is “both a hollow social construction and a reality with an indispensable history.” [Sarah Valdez, “Freestyling – Studio Museum in Harlem,” "Art in America" Sep 2001. ]

Artists featured in The Studio Museum in Harlem’s "Freestyle" show included Kori Newkirk, Laylah Ali, Eric Wesley, Senam Okudzeto, David McKenzie, Susan Smith-Pinelo, Sanford Biggers, Louis Cameron, Deborah Grant, Rashid Johnson, Arnold J. Kemp, Julie Mehretu, Mark S. Branford and Jennie C. Jones.

Notes and References

Links

The Studio Museum in Harlem
* http://www.studiomuseum.org/