Poetic Realities

Last Thursday I attended the inaugural event Poetic Realities held by the UCLA Department of Design Media Arts [1]. Here I was able to meet Dr. Vesna, several classmates, and some of the TA's -- not to mention the wine and tasty cuisine that enhanced the fancy atmosphere.

[2] Poetic Realities took place in the New Wight Gallery, an exhibition space by the Broad Art Center.

When entering the gallery I observed an eerily portrayed dystopia that emphasized motion animation [3], an open space to the left which allowed for multisensory immersion [4], an interview with a Martian [5], a mural featuring generations of the same identity seated together [6], and, coming almost full circle, the skeleton of a Colombian mammoth [7]. The breadth of these works does not neatly fall into any of the specific modules that we have been covering in this course, so it may be best to reinforce this exhibition as a beacon of the third culture where futuristic humanists and the scientific spirit first meet on university grounds [8]. When we revisit Dr. Vesna's lectures on the separation of cultures, it is crucial to note that the third culture sees the observer interacting with and influencing the observed in order to break stereotypes [9]. This, I now believe, is the emphasis of the artistic piece that drew my attention the most. 

[10] This is the welcoming and instructions panel for the exhibit titled "Black Honey (Or an Exuberance of Drapetomania)" by the artist Leslie Foster. 

Although the video was unable to load properly, here is a still shot of me looking down at one of the bowls which featured people of African and Indigenous descent performing rituals.

Here's a picture of me with one of the lanterns to consecrate my space under the drapes.

I must be candid and admit that this exhibit was frustrating for me. My initial reaction was that this exhibit felt exclusionary as I observed non-Black and Indigenous folks shifting awkwardly as they tentatively awaited a welcoming into the reflecting space by a Black or Indigenous person. The discomfort was heightened when a well-meaning woman offered me an invitation, to which I politely informed her that I am of half-African descent myself. In order to understand the necessity for making a public display of Black-and Indigenous-only space, I decided to seek out the artist and ask him to explain the work's intention. From our conversation and my later investigation into his artistic development [11], I was told that the work maintains the theme of offering Black and queer people a culture and a future. He was very opening to alternative interpretations- rather than a singular understanding of his work or vision- and I noticed him happily offering entrance cards to non-Black-and-Indigenous guests. I therefore had to revise my take on his work, and, upon returning to his exhibit, I appreciated the solidarity enjoyed by a group of Black women when peering into the bowls and the courtesy shown by a White family from beyond the drapes. My greatest hope as an outside observer of the art world and a partial outside observer of the Black world is that artists will continue to be successful in creating an empowering, and not exclusive, culture [12].

[13] This past February, during the recognized Black History Month, musical artist Kanye West urged for the promotion of Black Future Month. I believe that there is space for both during this month and throughout the year, to reflect on the past triumphs and tragedies of Black history and to manifest a united, creative future for Black people.

[1] “DMA ANNUAL 2022: POETIC REALITIES.” GO ARTS UCLA, The University of California, 2022, https://goarts.ucla.edu/events/dma-annual-2022-poetic-realities.

[2] “Broad Art Center.” UCLA Center for the Advancement of Teaching, The University of California, 5 Mar. 2019, http://ta.ucla.edu/broad-art-center.

[3] Ruder, Isaac. “About - Isaac Ruder.” Isaacruder.us/, 2022, https://isaacruder.us/index.html.

[4] McCarthy, Lauren L. “Lauren Lee McCarthy - Info.” Lauren Lee McCarthy, 2022, https://lauren-mccarthy.com/Info.

[5] Gilma, Berit. Berit Gwendolyn Gilma, 2022, https://www.beritgilma.com/.

[6] Chen, Carrie. “Temporal Portrait.” Carrie Chen, 2022, https://carriechen.works/TEMPORAL-PORTRAIT.

[7] Edler, Don. “The Mammoth in the Room (Zed).” Don Edler, 2022, http://donedler.com/.

[8] Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo, vol. 34, no. 2, 2001, pp. 121–125., https://doi.org/10.1162/002409401750184672.

[9] Vesna, Victoria. “Lecture Part II.” Two Cultures. 2012, Los Angeles, CA.

[10] Sullivan, Jahred. Pictures from Black Honey (Or an Exuberance of Drapetomia). Apple Inc., 2022.

[11] Foster, Leslie. leslie_muse. Instagram, 2022, https://www.instagram.com/leslie_muse/.

[12] Project, The Art Genome, et al. Can Art Change the Future for Racial and Ethnic Identity? A Roundtable Discussion. Artsy, 8 Sept. 2015, https://www.artsy.net/article/the-art-genome-project-can-art-change-the-future-for-racial-and.

[13] HIPHOP CROWN NATION. “Kanye West ‘Black Future Month’ Speech / Black History Month.” YouTube, 8 Feb. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpBbZ6w6nOU.