Black Marat and the Aesthetics of Liberation
René Peña (b. 1957 Havana, Cuba). Black Marat, 2009. Color lambda print, 24 x 32 in. General Acquisition Fund purchase made possible with support from Natalie Newlove.
Black Marat and the Aesthetics of Liberation brings together works by artists who challenge art historical discourse and institutionalized racism through diverse strategies of resistance that include dance, music, photography and prints. Michael Moloi adopts archival footage from news and collaborative performance in video art to resist violence against bodies and residential segregation. René Peña’s photographic lens mines visual archives and academic disciplines that have marginalized Black people to question under and misrepresentation as well as authoritarian regimes. In Black Marat, Peña further evokes Catholic imagery to examine religion, class and race. Other artists in the exhibition, such as Jaune-Quick-to-See Smith and Natalie Ball, celebrate Black and Indigenous sovereignty while also asking viewers to consider language, art, and culture as tools for activism and agency. This exhibition is curated by Dr. Adriana Miramontes Olivas.
