Thursday, February 16, 2023

Danielle Scott Kinfolk- Gallery Response



    From the moment I walked into the gallery I could feel the pain behind each piece, even before getting all the context and symbolism behind it. I didn’t know of Danielle Scott before this exhibit, but after seeing her work, and learning more about her journey, she’s become easily one of the most inspiring modern creators I’ve seen. She spent 20 years as an oil painter, only to realize what her true mixed media calling was when reconnected with her homeland, Cuba. As a young artist, I can speak for myself and many others when I say there’s a pressure being held over us, we’re basically told we should know what we want to do for the rest of our lives while we’re still getting an education. To know what our work means for us, and how we want to utilize that to contribute to a capitalist society. Hearing about Scott’s journey as an artist really made me realize that self discovery can take a lifetime, and it can be influenced by so much in an artist’s life, and it can take breaking out of what you’re used to for that revelation.

    The meaning behind Scott’s work is even more empowering, as her exhibit Kinfolk showcases the untold stories of the people who endured the horrors of slavery and its effects. Each piece was a gorgeous mixed media collage made as tribute to our ancestors. Danielle Scott goes above and beyond doing basic research for her work, which would entail visiting a library and reading scholar articles, but she went to the plantations themselves, and put herself in those conditions by picking cotton on a hot day, visiting the plantation churches, all so she could feel what they felt, take in the energy that was left behind. It makes her work all the more authentic, and that kind of dedication is just so inspiring. Having us all pick at a piece of cotton was the most immersive part of the whole exhibit for me. You’re always told about what slavery entailed, but having that piece of history in your hands made it feel so recent, not just distant history. This is because in truth, it really wasn’t that long ago, and the African American community is still impacted by that history and generational trauma today.

 
Griff, 2022

    Griff says so much without needing to say anything. The horrifying acts of lynching and all the grief and pain from loved ones and anyone else who was affected. It is placed on a cross that resembles the crucifixion of Christ. I cannot help but notice the little hands reaching up. It makes me think of people trying to find salvation in those times.

Slave Narratives (feat. "Ships on the Horizon" by Janetza Miranda), 2022

    This is the most evident example of Scott’s dedication for her work. A table displaying a dozen different books discussing slave narratives, with cotton she picked herself, and a video compilation of the plantations she visited. I believe this is the most educational and immersive piece in the whole exhibit, as the singing of Janetza Miranda echoes in the room, and gives a somber experience.

King Constance, 2022

    King Constance is a personal favorite of mine. The golden halos and crowns Scott uses in her work is a meaningful way of giving a voice to people who weren’t heard. Draping them in royal colors, showing everyone that these people are special without using words. The hardest hitting part of this piece for me is the cutout of people who are no longer there. Made to represent the families that were always separated when they’d be taken to different plantations. A horrible situation that was a reality for so many families.  


“Halos are heavier than they look. The sanctification that they signify typically comes at a steep cost. It’s no mystery how the beleaguered central characters in the mixed-media pieces by Danielle Scott earned those golden rings around their heads. They’re haunted and wearied by the long and bitter history of slavery. Trauma is apparent in their posture, in facial expressions that combine accusation with hope and resignation, and the rough cuts with which the artist brings her paper dolls to life. Their beatitude is made manifest by the radiance that surrounds them.” McCall, Tris. “'The Beauty in Struggle': Danielle Scott's 'Ancestral Call,' at Gallery AFERRO, Is Full of Radiant Images.”

“Scott’s pieces have the feel of the half-reconstructed: dream elements and twice-told tales, fables and American myths, and collectively held assumptions about the South and the antebellum period, sharecropping and rural penury.”McCall, Tris. “'The Beauty in Struggle': Danielle Scott's 'Ancestral Call,' at Gallery AFERRO, Is Full of Radiant Images.”


“Looking and looking back, black women involve ourselves in a process whereby we see our history as counter-memory, using it as a way to know the present and invent the future.” “The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators: Bell Hooks.”

 

Selfie 2


    Inspired by the works of Danielle Scott, my selfie depicts my own personal experiences with identity. The driving forces of my personal identity is my self expression and how it goes hand in hand with my complex relationship with gender identity, and my disconnection with femininity.

 


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