Experience at the Exhibition

 Michael Pantaleon

Danielle Scott: Kinfolk RESPONSE:

    Powerful is an incredible understatement when discussing Kinfolk by Danielle Scott. The collection of work emanates its presence throughout the exhibit, immersing its audience in a memorable experience filled with heart-aching empathy and compassion. Scott effortlessly captures the essence of Black beauty, while acknowledging the deep-rooted history that plagued her ancestors, facing residual effects still to this very day. "She expects us to be present to the monstrous act of violence that severed a people from their heritage — and in so doing, made it harder for us to access our own American stories, no matter who we are,” Tris McCall expresses, whose article, The Beauty in Struggle, details such observations about the gallery.

King Constance, mixed medium assemblage and resin, 2022.

  

    The horror of this reality sets in with King Constance. A quality shared amongst its family of work in the Kinfolk exhibition, this piece celebrates the excellence of what it means to be Black, dressing their central figures in luxurious garments with accessories made from lavish materials. The viewer is greeted by a group of assertive children, the eldest sporting a gorgeous purple, amethyst-like crown, accompanied by another who is engulfed in a radiating halo, along with the youngest of the bunch draped in golden fabric. However, through further investigation, a sudden shift of perspective is revealed. "We can make ourselves pretty, these characters seem to be saying, but the context in which we must operate is abominable" (McCall). The children being related by blood or bonded by circumstance becomes irrelevant. The fact of the matter is there are two individuals visibly absent from the composition, their silhouettes creating an unnerving feeling. Although one could assume these people were slain, or wishfully thinking, escaped to their freedom, as Scott states, this was made intentionally to emphasize the harsh truths of slavery. No matter the relation these kids shared, they were forcefully separated, now connected only through spirit, hoping to be reunited someday.

    Art can always be interpreted in many ways, yet in the case of Kinfolk, it is informative just as much as it is subjective. The methodical process of creating these artworks by Danielle Scott requires plenty of research and dedication. As previously mentioned, every piece portrays the people of significance in commemorative fashion, however the similarities do not stop there. The mixed medium assemblages include what is known to the artist as “Freed People of Color Database.” A closer look at the entire gallery comes full circle, this body of text has been present all throughout the background layers, a story within a story. This realization then begins a rabbit hole of digging deeper than the surface value of what is seen. The wooden framework that confines the pieces begins to look oddly familiar to those that represent the shacks that slaves had to tolerate poor living conditions in. The crystal clear resin finish solidifies the images, capturing the moment for what it truly is, the positives, negatives, flaws and all.

Hatwell, Gray, Bernaby and Eugene, mixed medium assemblage and resin, 2020. 

       Hatwell, Gray, Bernaby, and Eugene is not only the title of this next piece, but are also the names of the children in the picture. Placing importance on their identity was made evident as their eyes pierce directly towards the viewer. Unfazed by the photographer, the group stand their ground, challenging the unknown to enlighten them on anything worse than what they were and have been enduring all their life. American author, scholar and social activist, bell hooks, coined the phrase, The Oppositional Gaze, in her 1992 essay collection Black Looks: Race and Representation, stating "By courageously looking, we defiantly declared: 'Not only will I stare. I want my look to change reality.'" (116). One cannot help but feel sympathetic towards the children, the gazes shared between them express many unspoken emotions. As the quote suggests, their stare certainly changes the outlook on the definition of living. Understanding the context of which they are represented by, the audience begins to self-reflect in comparison, yet nothing comes remotely close to the horrors this group has faced.

Quotes from Tris McCall's article, 'The Beauty in Struggle':

1. "We can make ourselves pretty, these characters seem to be saying, but the context in which we must operate is abominable."

2. "She expects us to be present to the monstrous act of violence that severed a people from their heritage — and in so doing, made it harder for us to access our own American stories, no matter who we are."

 Both quotes have been used in my response essay to support my statements.

Quotes from bell hooks' Black Looks:  Race and Representation; Ch. 7 - Oppositional Gaze:

1. "Many black women do not "see differently" precisely because their perceptions of reality are so profoundly colonized, shaped by dominant ways of knowing" (128).

2. "Opening up a space for the assertion of a critical black female spectatorship, they do not simply offer diverse representations, they imagine new transgressive possibilities for the formulation of identity" (130). 

 BONUS: "How could we long to be [on the screen] when our image, visually constructed, was so ugly" (120).

Being a double minority created an environment where the right to resist and rebel was bound to be explored.