YES WE CAN – CONTEMPORARY BLACK ART
Throughout the western world, interest in the work of Black artists has increased significantly. How do they understand their work? Will museums be receptive to their art? Will they radically change our view of art history?
With their portraits in the National Gallery, Michelle and Barack Obama have shaken up the world of art. Not only are they the first Black presidential couple to be represented at the gallery, but for the first time ever, a Black male and a Black female artist were commissioned to do the paintings: Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald. The Obamas have paved the way for a new generation of artists who have made portraiture their own and are now being championed. Throughout the western world, interest in the work of Black artists has increased significantly. In what way can representations of Black people in art contribute towards their emancipation and desire for equality? Jerrell Gibbs from Baltimore paints portraits that challenge typical clichés about Black men. Shannon T. Lewis, a Canadian of Caribbean descent, wants to make the representation of Black people ubiquitous and create beauty out of something historically abhorrent. The Kenyan-British painter Michael Armitage tells emotionally charged stories from East Africa, allowing his in-depth knowledge of European art history to shine through. How do these artists understand their work? Will museums, portrait galleries and other institutions be receptive to their art? Will they radically change our view of art history?