Guerline Octavius

Course: Acts of Resistance

Professor: Doris Cacoilo

Date: March 1, 2020

                 To begin with in Ibou Ndoye's paintings his subject was base on the African culture and in Abebunmi Gbadebo's subject was based on the use of hair, which can be use for identity. The media that the aritsts had used were paintings, sculptures, and prints. For example, in each of Ibou paintings, they had different patterns. In Abebunmi prints closely you can see the printed paper of written information, like as a newspaper. Furthermore, research play a huge role in work it provides details. Also, it gives a better undertsanding of the artist work and give a more complex stretch of the human condition. The narratives I see being conveyed is the focus on what it is most important and the creation of having the capacity using something that is old and transforming it to something new. For instance, Ibou mentioned a painting where two women that heading to different paths, but what was most important is that they had brought what they needed and not want they wanted. They had brought food, water, clothes to keep them warm, which is mostly like needed in a situation of survival. I do believe the work address the artists own histories and identities because there was also another painting Ibou reveal to us and it was about how Africans would get together, wear their best dress, enjoying their laughter, and put on their their expensive jewelry. To add on, it was like a tradition that they do for a celebration. In addition, in one of Gbadebo's sculpture called "History Paper Series: Uprooted," which focuses on a new identity of natural textures of human hair. As well as that, the paper holds DNA of each human hair. I would explain the works as activist as deep down creativity involving with history. The exhibitions does address social issues, identity, and activism. It addresses social issues because there are people that are not comfortable wearing their own hair it out because it is rough or nappy, but with Gbadebo's sculptures and prints, it explains and shows the beauty of rough and nappy hair with using the creativity of dread locs. With Ibou paintings illustrates the identity of his culture traditions. Laslly, it addresses to activism because in their work it connect to others in way that can make a social or political change.

Quotes

• "To my mind these moments and many like them are proof that the role of culture must be taken seriously, and that deploying it for needs of social change can produce wondrous result."("Seeing Power" -Introduction)
• "I went from being an artist that make things, to an artist that make things happen." ("Seeing Power"-Chapter 2: The Didactic and the Ambiguous in the Paranoiac Age)
• "In addition to artist presentations, political discussions, organized happenings, lunches, walk, parties, and film screening, participants regularly share and discuss readings." (Chapter 4: "The Experiment University")

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