Louisiana Art Exhibition: Arthur Jafa’s Multi-Media Critique of Racial Injustice By: Maéva Amélie Djaba
Arthur Jafa (b.1960) is an Afro-American multi-media artist, who grew up in Mississippi, which he calls the “ground zero for African Americans” because of the state’s complex history when it comes to black people, slavery, and racial injustice. Jafa is known as one of the most important artists in the US, working in the worlds of film, music, photography, and visual arts. Jafa is also known for working with black artists, with projects such as Solange’s music videos “Don’t Touch My Hair” and “Cranes in the Sky,” as well as Jay Z’s “444” album, which can be seen as important blueprints in the black music industry. Jafa’s work was exhibited at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (located on the shore of the Øresund Sound in Humlebæk, 35km north of Copenhagen) from April until October 2021, in an exhibition, entitled “Magnumb,” a combination of the words Magnum and Numb, which represents a social criticism of the reality of being black in America. The exhibition is one of the biggest presentations of Jafa’s art to date, and includes different installations of pop art, photography, film, and sculptures. Seeing this exhibition in a Scandinavian country like Denmark is very educational not only about the problematic, violent, and systematic racist history that continues in America (and the rest of the world) but also because it is a visual presentation of white supremacy. “Love is the message; the message is death” from 2016 – is a piece that really struck me in the exhibition. The film has become a world sensation, portraying many moments of today and the past, the background music is Kanye West’s Gospel/Rap song: “Ultralight Beam” from the album Life of Pablo. The film shows complicated feelings between the understanding of history, the glorification and power of black culture and black pop culture in contrast to the violence and brutality that ordinary and poor black people experience in America today. The video shows the highs and lows of black culture, the good and the bad, through video clips of ordinary and famous black people. It’s an expression of differences, cultural understanding, but also a hopeful message to those interacting with this piece. Jafa makes art for people to consider, and not just to be uplifting. He hopes that his art can help people not buy into the American myth of greatness and racial gaslighting1. SCAN TO WATCH: Arthur Jafa: LOVE IS THE MESSAGE, THE MESSAGE IS DEATH
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