Fresh off an extended holiday weekend, this weeks’ digital exhibit tackles “Americana”. With the federal observance of Juneteenth this past month, The Fourth of July, looks a lot different for Black Americans this year. As many Black Americans explore the significance of and honor Juneteenth, they’re left to grabble with the sentiments surrounding The Fourth and subsequently “Americana” and American-ness. This edition of “Artwork Evoking Our Emotions This Week” takes inspiration from the premise of the Autumn/Winter 2018′ Pyer Moss collection, “American, Also”. That sentiment, “American, Also” speaks to reversing the erasure of the contributions of African Americans in the context of American culture. There are a pool of Black artist that have long often, centered works around asserting Blackness into the notion of “Americana”, displaying Black figures and people in scenes that push the bounds of how we tend to view what America looks like. From Faith Ringgold’s Flag Series—in particular “The Flag is Bleeding” (1967)—exploring the pain of Black and minorities inflicted by systematic oppression, to Derrick Adams’ “Floater” series, which showcases Black figures simply just being, enjoying a day at the pool, to David Hammons’ “African American Flag”—which was inspired by two contrasting symbols: the U.S flag and the Pan-African flag— where he merged the two flags to evoke a conversation about the complicated history behind the flag of the United States.
Below we’ve curated a selection of works by Black artist that deal with themes around asserting Blackness and Black bodies into “Americana” and the American art history cannon, Black joy and reframing the meaning of the flag.
Derrick Adams—Floater No. 19
David Hammons—African-American Flag
Nina Chanel Abney—Black libertee
DEANA LAWSON—Cowboys
jammie holmes—I’ve Seen It All
Kerry James Marshall—past times
Gordon Parks—American Gothic, Washington, D.C.
Mickalene Thomas—america the beautiful
Tyler Mitchell—Untitled (Family Time in the Park)
Titus Kaphar—Behind the Myth of Benevolence
Toyin Ojih Odutola—Picnic on the Grounds
Amy Sherald—What’s precious inside of him does not care to be known by the mind in ways that diminish its presence (All American)
glenn ligon—Double America 2
Emma Amos—equals
jamal shabazz—youth & age, hampstead, ny
ming smith—America Seen Through Stars and Stripes, New York City, New York
