Arnaldo Roche Rabell, "We Have to Dream in Blue" (1986), oil on canvas (via elmuseo.org)
Spending all day being party-bused between the three museums —
El Museo del Barrio,
the Studio Museum in Harlem and
the Queens Museum of Art — who are hosting the self-proclaimed landmark exhibition
Caribbean: Crossroads of the World,
I was repeatedly told by the museum directors, curators and artists
just how significant and groundbreaking the exhibition is. However, I
left the final museum feeling confused by the jumbled mix of artistic
styles and periods shoved together.
Organized thematically with
two themes per museum from “Fluid Motions” at the Queens Museum,
focusing on the importance of water and coastal areas on the Caribbean’s
art and culture, to “Shades of History” at the Studio Museum, studying
the impact of race and race relations, the exhibition seemed to fall
into the same trap many identity or location-based exhibitions do — by
attempting to show every single work that could fit into the exhibition
space without a thought to how they might translate to the viewer.
By
trying to stick to a strict thematic structure without explanation of
individual works of art, I came out of the day long viewing not knowing
anything more about Caribbean art, which is unfortunate since my
knowledge of the topic is sparse. The museums are also joining together
to create a 500-page catalogue, which would reputedly be the first major
survey publication on Caribbean art yet, but the book was not available
for the opening of the exhibition and there was little to offer insight
into the art on display.
Jean-Michel
Basquiat, "Untitled (Red/Green Skull)" (1982), acrylic and oilstick on
paper (all photos by author unless otherwise noted)
Beginning
at the El Museo del Barrio, exhibition focused on the effect of the
economic development in the Caribbean from the sugar, fruit and tobacco
trade and the impact of Creole culture. In both of these thematic rooms,
the curators placed historic images next to contemporary art that
reflects on the state of the Caribbean today.
Installation View at the Queens Museum of Art (photo by author)
While
the importance of Caribbean art and its diaspora in art history from
Impressionism with Camille Pissarro, who was born in the Caribbean, to
Jean-Michel Basquiat, who was of Haitian descent, cannot be denied, I’m
not sure that there is a real reason for both these artists to be placed
next to each other in an exhibition.
Similarly
at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Queens Museum of Art, their
thematic rooms were overhung, organized salon-style in both museums,
making it near impossible to view visually and contextually. The only
explanations given were the small wall texts presenting each thematic
portion of the exhibition, each individual work remained unexplained.
This lack of clear explanation for the general viewer leaves
Caribbean: Crossroads of the World best
suited for school groups, educational tours and other groups that may
have a concise lesson plan related to the show or a tour guide.
Coco Fusco, "The Undiscovered Amerindians" (2012), drypoint etchings on paper
Even
though I found the exhibitions organization overwhelming, I still found
many works that illuminated the state of Caribbean culture and identity
today without any need for explanation. I particularly liked Coco Fusco
and Paula Heredia’s hysterical film “The Couple in the Cage: Guatinaui
Odyssey” (video, 1993) and Fusco’s related etchings
The Undiscovered Amerindians (2012).
Dressed up as unidentifiable natives in cages placed in art galleries
and other locations, Fusco and Heredia played on viewer’s interactions
and cultural assumptions of them as savage natives. The etchings show
some of the more notable reactions that are documented in the film,
including the fact that a viewer offered to pay $10 to feed the artists a
banana at the Whitney Museum.
Hubert Neal Jr, "Silent Scream" (2010) from the series "Dudu Chronicles," acrylic on canvas board
Leaving
the press party-bus, which was by the way not much of a party, I felt
frustrated that the exhibition revealed little. The curators and
directors are clearly so proud of themselves by bringing together this
many works that they forgot to create a clear, understandable way to for
outsiders entree into the presentations. Rather than attempting to
create the biggest exhibition on Caribbean art in history, I wish that
the curators at all three museums had focused on making an exhibition
that could be understood and appreciated by a general audience.
Caribbean: Crossroads of the World
continues at El Museo del Barrio until January 6, 2013, the Studio Museum in Harlem until October 21, 2012 and the Queens Museum of Art until January 6, 2013.
Hi thanks for sharing wonderful blog.......
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