Synopses & Reviews
In the 1980sandmdash;at the height of Thatcherism and in the wake of civil unrest and rioting in a number of British citiesandmdash;the Black Arts Movement burst onto the British art scene with breathtaking intensity, changing the nature and perception of British culture irreversibly. This richly illustrated volume presents a history of that movement. It brings together in a lively dialogue leading artists, curators, art historians, and critics, many of whom were actively involved in the Black Arts Movement. Combining cultural theory with anecdote and experience, the contributors debate how the work of the black British artists of the 1980s should be viewed historically. They consider the political, cultural, and artistic developments that sparked the movement even as they explore the extent to which such a diverse body of work can be said to constitute a distinct artistic movementandmdash;particularly given that andldquo;blackandrdquo; in Britain in the 1980s encompassed those of South Asian, North and sub-Saharan African, and Caribbean descent, referring as much to shared experiences of disenfranchisement as to shades of skin.
In thirteen original essays, the contributors examine the movement in relation to artistic practice, public funding, and the transnational art market and consider its legacy for todayandrsquo;s artists and activists. The volume includes a unique catalog of images, an extensive list of suggested readings, and a descriptive timeline situating the movement vis-andagrave;-vis relevant artworks and films, exhibitions, cultural criticism, and political events from 1960 to 2000. A dynamic living archive of conversations, texts, and images, Shades of Black will be an essential resource.
Contributors. Stanley Abe, Jawad Al-Nawab, Rasheed Araeen, David A. Bailey, Adelaide Bannerman, Ian Baucom, Dawoud Bey, Sonia Boyce, Allan deSouza, Jean Fisher, Stuart Hall, Lubaina Himid, Naseem Khan, susan pui san lok, Kobena Mercer, Yong Soon Min, Keith Piper, Zineb Sedira, Gilane Tawadros, Leon Wainwright, Judith Wilson
Review
andldquo;Shades of Black is an invaluable text for anyone and everyone in diaspora studies, cultural studies, and comparative British and American studies and for historians and critics of visual art. It brings together a wide range of visual art with a superb collection of essays that set the historical and critical context for understanding one of the most vibrant moments in art history.andrdquo;andmdash;Hazel V. Carby, author of Cultures in Babylon: Black Britain and African America
Review
andldquo;Shades of Black is a remarkable document of creative thinking and archival importance. The editors have brought to life a decade rich in artistic experimentation and collaboration, which will shape the vision of artists and thinkers across generations and geographies.andrdquo;andmdash;Homi K. Bhabha, Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of English and American Literature, Harvard University
Review
andldquo;The explosion of creativity and the critical debates on black culture that emerged in Britain in the 1980s transformed reigning assumptions about black art around the world. This collection is an important effort to assess the work of that period and its lasting impact.andrdquo;andmdash;Coco Fusco, interdisciplinary artist and Associate Professor of Visual Arts, Columbia University
Synopsis
A history of the last twenty years of black arts in Britain, focusing on the eighties, a decade of such arts explosion.
About the Author
“Shades of Black is a remarkable document of creative thinking and archival importance. The editors have brought to life a decade rich in artistic experimentation and collaboration, which will shape the vision of artists and thinkers across generations and geographies.”—Homi K. Bhabha, Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of English and American Literature, Harvard University“Shades of Black is an invaluable text for anyone and everyone in diaspora studies, cultural studies, and comparative British and American studies and for historians and critics of visual art. It brings together a wide range of visual art with a superb collection of essays that set the historical and critical context for understanding one of the most vibrant moments in art history.”—Hazel V. Carby, author of Cultures in Babylon: Black Britain and African America“The explosion of creativity and the critical debates on black culture that emerged in Britain in the 1980s transformed reigning assumptions about black art around the world. This collection is an important effort to assess the work of that period and its lasting impact.”—Coco Fusco, interdisciplinary artist and Associate Professor of Visual Arts, Columbia University
Table of Contents
Shades of Black: Assembling the 1980s / David A. Bailey, Ian Baucom, and Sonia Boyce xi
Part One. Texts
Assembling the 1980s: The Delugeandmdash;and After / Stuart Hall 1
The Success and Failure of the Black Arts Movement / Rasheed Araeen 21
Wait, Did I Miss Something? Some Personal Musings on the 1980s and Beyond / Keith Piper 35
Inside the Invisible: For/Getting Strategy / Lubaina Himid 41
Iconography after Identity / Kobena Mercer 49
A to Y (Entries for an Inventory of Dented andquot;Iandquot;s) / susan pui san lok 59
On Becoming at Artist: Algerian, African, Arab, Muslim, French and Black British? A Dialogue of Visibility / Zineb Sedira in collaboration with Jawad Al-Nawab 67
CoRespondents / Young Soon Min and Allan deSouza 77
Triangular Trades: Late-Twentieth-Century andquot;Blackandquot; Art and Transatlantic Cultural Commerce / Judith Wilson 89
Collaborative Projects: Toward a More Inclusive Practice / Dawoud Bey 103
Why Asia Now? Contemporary Asian Art and the Politics of Multiculturalism / Stan Abe 109
Choices for Black Arts in Britain over Thirty Years / Naseem Khan 115
A Case of Mistaken Identity / Gilane Tawadros 123
Color Plates 133
Part Two. The Conference
Conference Papers and Speakers 166
Dialogues / Jean Fisher 167
Part Three. Time Lines
Introduction / Adelaide Bannerman 199
Time Lines 210
Part Four. Recommended Readings
Introduction / Leon Wainwright 307
Histories and Positions 309
Visual Practices 312
Exhibitions and Displays 314
Institutions, Policies, and Reports 316
Contributors 319
Acknowledgments 327
Index 329