By Nadia Farjood — August 1, 2011 at 12:36 am
While it is commonly said that a picture is worth a thousand words,
less often is it said that a picture is worth a thousand actions. A
fictitious divide slices through art-activism in an attempt to detach
art from action, or engagement with the "real world." Yet, the point
at which art ends and action begins cannot be demarcated. A painter
can splatter the colors of her political message over a blank canvas
to translate the pulse of an injustice to the public. Images can jolt
an observer from passive consumption of art to active engagement in a
cause. Collages can cluster seemingly unlike ideas or people together,
engendering solidarity through juxtaposition, which can catalyze
peaceful movements. Artivism is flourishing in France.
Alexis Peskine's Image "Desintegration"
My visits to Musée du Montparnasse (featuring Alexis Peskine's pieces
in a gallery on a new wave of artists from the African diaspora in
Paris) and the Institut des Cultures d'Islam (showcasing a 30-photo
exposition of the The Goutte d'Or community by photographer Martin
Parr) illuminate the provocative flair of the contemporary artist-
activist who makes inroads to the political and cultural through the
visual, underscoring the fusion of art and activism.
Peskine's Portrayals of People and Politics
The son of a Franco-Russian father and Afro-Brazilian mother, Peskine
draws inspiration from his paternal grandfather who survived a German
concentration camp and his maternal grandfather who inhabited the
favelas of Brazil. Tinting his art with the hues of his family
history, the Paris-born Master of Arts examines intersectional nature
of ethnicity, nationality, religion and gender. He uses the canvas as
a space to grapple with power dynamics and facilitate a dialogue on
taboo topics around identity in France.
To spark a dialogue on social issues, he employs widely recognized
symbols and characters with a hint of humor and familiarity. "I
pervert icons in a joking way," Peskine revealed as he escorted the
Humanity in Action Fellows and me through a gauntlet of PowerPoint
slides displaying his work. In his magnum opus, he uses Asterix, a
popular comic book character and historical figure who exemplifies the
xenophobic idea of white, "pure French." He depicts two images of the
blonde, mustachioed, and winged Asterix standing on a platform of two
upturned palms of an African woman. Each of the cartoons is armed with
a paint roller to erase the woman's image with white streaks. The
piece, cleverly titled "Desintegration," reacts to the political
discourse in France, which emphasizes the importance of immigrants and
minority groups to "integrate."
Drawing from American influence, in "Existe," Mr. Clean—a bald,
muscular man printed on the labels of household cleaning products—
communicates the problematic ethnic cleansing mentality that pollutes
French politics and leads to internalized oppression. (According to
Peskine, in France, approximately 20 percent of black women use skin
bleaching, despite the fact that one of the chemicals in this product
is illegal). Swashbuckling Indiana Jones in "Masters of the Universal"
stands on an African kid's head to portray the absence of positive
black role models in the media and society. In "Hott," Venus
Hottentott, the representation of a sexually exploited woman of color
who "had her rear end exhibited in zoos," attracts attention to the
degrading video vixen culture and crude objectification of women.
While speaking out against widespread discrimination with his art,
Peskine also confronts specific political issues confronting France.
In his signature piece "Identité International," Peskine displays an
outstretched, eloquent African woman draped in a red shawl; set
against a white background and a blue splash of abstract images.
Visible are a plane, a moon and star symbolizing Islam, a musical
note, a black power fist, a crucifix, a stiletto, the McDonald's
arches, and the word "Dorothée," a famous French television show. This
image emerged in reaction to France's 2010 debate on national
identity. "The debate discredited certain people's Frenchness. It
could have been a productive debate about status and direction of the
country, but it spewed venomous discrimination," Peskine revealed.
"France doesn't recognize itself as it is." Highlighting the impact of
globalization, Peskine celebrates diversity and demonstrates that
French belonging is not exclusive to a race, but is particular to an
experience.
In the same way Peskine blends the serious and the comedic, he cross-
pollinates aesthetic forms through the material of his work. Curious
about the medium he chose to present his message—gold-leafed nails and
lacquer paint on lumbercore wood—I asked "Why nails?" to which he
eloquently replied that nails are about transcendence. Representing a
duality, nails are both a symbol of pain and resistance, yoking agony
and strength. Peskine's medium and message epitomize the power of
artivism: his images transcend frames, leaping into the consciousness
of viewers not just as an aesthetic but as advocacy.
Parr Pictures the Goutte d'Or
The Goutte d'Or (pronounced Gu-doh), or "golden drop," is a community
infamous for its immigrants, drugs and crime. Contrary to its name, it
is rarely depicted as rich. The working-class neighborhood, with a
sizable population of African and Arab residents, was yanked under the
microscope of intense media scrutiny when the faithful flowed into the
streets. Due to a lack of prayer space, on Fridays Muslims would
carpet the asphalt and pray side-by-side outside the mosque, an act
seen as intolerable from the eyes of a secular republic. In an effort
to provide a fresh and honest outlook on a stigmatized and
misrepresented community, British photographer Martin Parr shared his
lens as a wandering pedestrian to reveal the riches of the Goutte
d'Or.
The exhibit revealed tensions, highlighted by the juxtaposition of a
halal meat market with a store selling wine and pork, while also
shedding light on the beauty of diversity, capturing multiculturalism
with a snapshot of four men—African, Arab-Muslim, Jewish and white—
working behind the counter of a corner shop together. He photographed
places—like Espace Kata, an exquisite old-time cinema transformed into
a shoe bazaar—and faces—like an elderly woman wrapped in a soft blue
headscarf—to capture the essence of the neighborhood.
The very presence of Parr's photo gallery has attracted a diverse
array of visitors to the community to experience its diversity of
peoples, religious practices, and cuisines. Parr's photography invites
people to experience a misunderstood community with the naked eye,
unfiltered by the media. Artivism is the mechanism by which the Goutte
d'Or, or the "golden drop," can be seen for its rich treasure trove of
cultural gems.
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