joyful noise.
relation and opacity are the foundations of diasporic identity.
black art must serve beauty.
black artists must build a collective.
black memory must be reimagined through art.
“cool” is a diasporic aesthetic and ethical stance.
in order of appearance
aubrey williams – tribal mark ii, 1961
wilfredo lam – rumblings of the earth, 1950
aubrey williams – death and the conquistador, 1959
aubrey williams – cosmic storm, 1977
aubrey williams – bonampak (number 17), 1967
aubrey williams – el dorado, 1960
sonia boyce – missionary position ii, 1985
aaron douglas – the street urchin, circa 1938
wilfredo lam – cardinal harps (arpas cardinales), 1948–1957
yinka shonibare – boy balancing knowledge, 2015
aubrey williams – tribal mark ii, 1961
wilfredo lam – rumblings of the earth, 1950
aubrey williams – death and the conquistador, 1959
aubrey williams – cosmic storm, 1977
aubrey williams – bonampak (number 17), 1967
aubrey williams – el dorado, 1960
sonia boyce – missionary position ii, 1985
aaron douglas – the street urchin, circa 1938
wilfredo lam – cardinal harps (arpas cardinales), 1948–1957
yinka shonibare – boy balancing knowledge, 2015
aubrey williams.
sonia boyce.
wilfredo lam.
aaron douglas.
yinka shonibar
there’s a storm. a rumbling. something has begun.
it’s terrifying at first
but you realized that’s simply because it’s unknown.
and unknown doesn’t have to mean danger.
unknown doesn’t mean fear.
da unknown is new
like morning.
don’t mourn yesterday
today
you’ll see that there’s beauty in this journey.
an explosion of hues,
colors, worlds,
a cosmic dance.
you’ll look back to your ancestors.
to tribal routes that resemble cardinal harps.
and see
there’s joy in this journey.
a woman, a man
a boy, a girl.