A Note from Lawrence Lartey

A note from Lawrence Lartey

I was lucky enough to work closely with the Diaspora Pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale. This experience opened me up to how ‘exclusive’ the art world can be. However, it also showed me that artists from diverse cultural backgrounds offer a new interpretation and practice that many are willing to embrace, once exposed to them.

A more anecdotal way to summarise this experience is to describe the music played at the pavilions launch party; hip hop, r n b, afro beats and ragga pulsated and overflowed from the Diaspora Pavilion, as the queues snaked around the cobbled streets of Venice where posh, wealthy, middle aged ‘art types’ eagerly wait to enter this pavilion after hearing sounds they had never witnessed before.

It was beyond curiosity. It’s safe to say the established art world had never witnessed anything like this.

There was a sense of inquisitiveness, anticipation, and eagerness.Once inside the Pavilion the public were not disappointed.

Diversity and diverse voices engaged an audience who had not previously displayed an active interest in other forms of expressions in art. The Diaspora Pavilion demonstrated the need to reflect upon global artists, whilst engaging new audiences.

Galtung and Ruge’s ‘Gatekeeping Theory’ (1965) can also be applied to the arts, creativity and diversity. More simply, the theory states that a set of people or organisations are the ‘gatekeepers’ (of the ‘news’ or ‘information’ in this instance) and that they simply disseminate what they feel is news worthy to the general public. The gatekeeping theory is relevant to, and translates within the arts sector. One homogenous group should not dictate the interests and agenda of other creative practitioners; however it regularly happens and it’s surreptitious, undermining one’s ability to authentically create.

An advantage of living in a multi-channel, agile age epoch is that creativity and art direction can be found anywhere, beit ‘online’ or at any ‘pop up’ space in global cities.

When it does ‘pop up’, it’s authentic.

2018’s ‘Nothing Beats a Londoner’ campaign by Nike clearly demonstrates the role diverse art direction and authenticity plays in creating authentic art. Global creative Agency Widen+Kennedy were the engine behind the campaign. However, they sought-out a group of grassroot creatives to give their campaign a stamp of authenticity (and authority).

Nike wanted to talk to a ‘diverse’ London, so guess what? - they consulted a ‘diverse’ demographic of people from London to make sure their message resonated. Despite the plethora of sporting icons in the advertisement, it feels local, familiar and that is largely to do with the art direction and creative strategy of the campaign. And in this case, the campaign’s art direction reflected a culturally diverse London. Nike got this advert right, but not everyone does because it is not that easy. Take for example the recent ad by Pepsi which tried to engage a new generation of consumers with their ‘Live for Now’ campaign. The premise - that they could jump on the ‘protest’ bandwagon, solving world problems with a can of Pepsi. They assumed that they knew their newly desired ‘diverse’ audience and what drives them. They relied on big budgets and a celebrity personality who they thought represented their target audience.

The campaign was pulled after one day. There was a lack of credibility, insight and considered thought in regards to art direction which resulted in a campaign with no authenticity.

Exploring social justice and art direction in the creative sector can lead to established organisations being forced to embrace new voices and routes regarding art-direction. Devin Allen’s 2015 Time Magazine cover skilfully depicts this with the visceral reportage of the Baltimore riots. By changing the message delivery, voices and narrative, more stories and forms of expression will be weaved into what is deemed as ‘mainstream practice. Perspectives can shift depending on how art is placed and framed in order to engage the audience. The shift that enabled society to report and document black culture at the time it was becoming mainstream in the USA brings us to the point we are today.

We have black artists such as Dapper Dan and Virgil Abloh working for major fashion houses, while maintaining their hip-hop sensibilities and influence. Perhaps one of the best examples of creative autonomy within a commercial context; Puma’s decision to hire rapper Jay Z as a creative consultant. Big brands are taking note of the creative power the black community hold. In addition to the diverse voices from different backgrounds that I touched upon earlier, the male/female voice also needs to be explored. The advertising industry has largely been dominated by the male voice and to an extent it still is. However, when you have a female voice dictating the editorial and creative direction, results can be entirely different. Take for example Kim Osorio’s stint at Editor-in-Chief of Hip-Hop Bible ‘The Source’ which enabled readers to consume the culture (mainly male dominated) through the lense of a team led by a woman.

The role that academia plays in art direction should be held accountable with the same rigour as the commercial context. Text, image and resources should reflect the history and legacy of creative ideas and practice, but often fail to. Embedding diverse materials, speakers and teaching methods into courses and programmes is the only way to stop viewing materials and speakers as tokenistic. Once such projects become ‘initiatives’ or ‘standalone projects’, we fail to integrate them into an existing practice for all to benefit from.

Coming full-circle back to Galtung and Ruge’s theory on Gatekeeping: The argument is that the dissemination of information it can be ‘switched on its head’ and used to visually tell the narratives of the underrepresented. Edward Enninful’s tenure at British Vogue has seen him use his ‘gatekeeping’ influence to reflect what he feels is ‘diverse Britain’. Not just with regards to the use of models on the cover, Enniful has achieved this expansion within his backroom staff, the demographic now comprised of individuals such as black female publisher Vanessa Kingori and Pat McGrath as Editor at Large.

Until the creative industries - including those linked to academia - represent the audience they serve, intersectional narratives in art and art direction will be limited within the mainstream. The digital landscape will ensure ideas, expression and narratives free from commercial constraint will continue to flourish and be accessible to those who seek it. But while the mainstream remain intent on tinkering with diversity in the frontof house, rather than fully embracing it across their businesses, they run the risk of misappropriation of cultures. A well-meaning creative can sit in their office looking for the next thing, go online and appropriate an idea without any consideration or thought. Without the foundation of a truly diverse creative team to interrogate, execute and review the idea, mistakes can be made at best and offence caused at worse.

The saying goes: ‘it happens in black culture first, and then it goes mainstream’; from Rock n Roll music, to fashion trends, to visual art, the voice of black art thrives without the need of validation from the masses. However, this does not mean that it can be easily and authentically portrayed within an academic or commercial space.

The opposite is true, which is why acknowledgment and recognition should be not dismissed.

Further Reading:

Bergh, J. and Behrer, M. (2011). How Cool Brands Stay Hot: Branding to Generations Y and Z. London: KoganPage.

Charnas, D. (2011). The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop. New York: New American Library.

Ogg, A. (2002). The Men Behind Def Jam: The Radical Rise Of Russell Simmons And Rick

Rubin. London: Omnibus.

Stoute, S. (2012). The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy. New York: Gotham Books.