Last summer, I had a studio visit from a Syracuse University graduate student, Spencer Stultz. She was in Atlanta interviewing artists for her thesis and Jamaal Barber suggested that she interview me. We spent a delightful afternoon hanging out, talking art, and having fun as she recorded our conversation. At that time I was working on a new series and it was a leap for me to start incorporating my prized Japanese papers into my practice. I had been collecting chiyogami paper and other specialty for years; admiring their beauty and complexity but keeping them pristine in my flat files. One day after dropping close to $100 on 8 sheets of new paper I realized that I was right on the edge of becoming a paper hoarder if I did not start using them. So with X-acto knife in hand I started cutting and a new series was born.
Recently Spencer sent me a copy of her thesis and it blew me away. Reading how she viewed and analyzed two of my works changed how I see them. With her permission, I am sharing her words with you. Part I focuses on Wherever You Go I Will Be With You. Enjoy!
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"Aesthetic Liberation: Contemporary Black Visual Art and Typologies of Activism in Atlanta" by Spencer Stultz
ABSTRACT
Historically, black visual art has held significance beyond its surface value as a source of beauty or entertainment. Black art has a long tradition of connections to activism. Black art advocates promoted the idea that art should be wielded as a tool for black advancement. However, in recent years, cultural theorists have declared that black art history has developed beyond this point and entered an era of post-blackness. Against this backdrop, I analyze the creative practices of contemporary black visual artists in Atlanta, GA to explore the varied ways that their art is a locus for activism and sociopolitical commentary. Their artistry is the basis for my interrogation of the question, what is this present moment in black art history, and what are the features of contemporary black artistic production?
Tracy Murrell: Interpretations of Black Female Beauty
Tracy Murrell is a visual artist, curator and creative in Atlanta. She previously was a curator at the Hammonds House for five years. The Hammonds House Museum is a historically significant art museum whose mission is to “preserve, exhibit, interpret and increase public awareness about the contributions that visual artists of African descent have made towards world culture” (Hammonds House Mission). She creates imagery that is concerned with the black female figure in silhouette form. Later in her practice, she became intentional about focally depicting black female forms. Prior to this, she had found herself constantly gravitating towards making images where she was able to see herself. It wasn’t until years into her practice that she realized how important it is for people to see the beauty in black women – to see what she sees (Murrell, 15:58). Murrell utilizes patterned paper and paper cutting methods to adorn her figures in ways that are beautiful and pleasing to view. She wants her work to be a point of rest for both herself as the creator and for her audience. Recognizing how chaotic and stressful life is, Murrell wants to create a sense of peacefulness as one gazes as a black female silhouette (Murrell, 11:17). In doing this, she situates black women as a source and site of repose.
This simple re – interpretation of the black female form is the antithesis of many stereotypes that exist regarding black women, which characterizes them at times as angry or complicated. However, Murrell doesn’t concern herself with directly depicting these complications, or focus on combatting them. Instead, she offers a refreshing way to experience black women. She depicts them as the source and locus for beauty, peace and rest. She is intentional about the pattern work that she utilizes in her work; she wants the work to be imagery that calms the mind. Early in her career, one of the only black papercutting visual artists that she knew of was Kara Walker, whose work Murrell says can induce depression and anxiety because of its subject matter. Because she came to art to find a place of rest, she wanted to create an art that still focuses on black female subjectivity but with the intentional approach of depicting black women as beautiful, calming, and with the intentions to evoke a sense of serenity. These two works that I examine are what Murrell calls “intimate” smaller works (Murrell, personal communication, 2018). They are made with Japanese Chiyogami paper and are part of a new series that she is preparing to debut to the public and present for sale.
Wherever You Go I Will Be With You depicts two deep blue figures that are facing each other. Their heads are bowed in unison, in a prayer-like stance. The simplistic silhouettes of the figures are contrasted by the clothing and background which are lush in vibrancy and intricacy. The figures are framed in front of a yellow background that has various blue-green pattern work which fill up what would have been negative space. Navigating those various patterns are a flock of white birds, flying in all different directions. It appears that the two figures are sharing an intimate moment in a quiet place, when suddenly a sound scatters the birds that a moment before may have been resting. The birds are in motion, but the two figures remain still. Draped in colorful robes, the pattern of the clothing provides the viewer with another set of surface decorations. The foundation of the clothing are color blocks of a gold material and is contrasted by blocks of red fabric that is filled with orange rippling swirls. These swirls elicit a sense of movement, which compliments the movement of the birds in the background. Layered on top of this patterned robing are bouquets of white and pink flowers.
Although this image appears too busy when considering the various patterns and colors, there is an inherent balance that it exudes. This may be because the two figures mirror each other, providing a sense of symmetry and coherence. Murrell positions the two figures in a way that shows that they are in agreement with one other, an interpretation supported by the affirming title of the work of art. With both heads bowed, the audience can deduce that they are in a meditative state. The allusions of Japanese cut paper craft, along with the robes that resemble kimonos in their print and draping fashion, suggests to the audience that something deeply significant is taking place between the two. Kimonos are traditionally worn on special occasions, and the intimate stance of the two figures coupled with the title of the painting are indicative that they are sharing a serious and sacred moment together.