Throughout history, meeting grounds have served as a place where ideas and cultures come to converge and create prosperity. Consider, for instance, the Silk Road, a network of trade routes that facilitated the exchange of not only goods but also philosophies, scientific discoveries, and artistic techniques (Ayala, 2019). In the bustling markets of Samarkand, one could envision a Persian scholar engaging in discourse with a Chinese merchant and an Indian mathematician, offering opportunities for enlightenment or potential conflict. But what is it like to imagine the individual as the conceptual meeting ground of cultures and a vessel for cultural prosperity? This essay Meeting Grounds presents a collection of works from international artists Big Chief Demond Melancon, Gordon Bennett, Bharti Kher, and Daniel Obasi, each navigating the complexities of identity. These works of these artists traverse the gap between identity singularities, exploring the negotiation between identities and cultures that hold contrasting characteristics. By doing so, they weave multiple narratives of historical significance, shedding light on the rich, layered experiences that shape individual and collective identities. These stories are represented to affirm, define, and situate the artists place in the world. Through their creations, the artists offer profound insights into the dynamics of identity, highlighting the interplay of culture, history, and personal experience in shaping who we are.
ALCHEMY OF IDENTITY
Manuel Castells (2009, p. 6) in his work “The Power of Identity,” articulates that identity is forged from “building materials from history, from geography, from biology, from productive and reproductive institutions, from collective memory and from personal fantasies, from power apparatuses and religious revelations”. This multifaceted formation of identity gains additional complexity when considering the impacts of colonisation and migration, where there lies a history of identities exponentially overlapping and developing hybrid cultures. The exhibition’s curation imbues this idea with the image of rebirth where disparate elements come together to create a new, vibrant entity.
Homi Bhabha’s theory of the Third Space further enriches this understanding of identity formation. “Cultural identity is fluid and is in a constant state of being created and recreated through the process of continuous negotiations, which takes place in what Bhabha calls ‘Third Space’” (Abou-Agag, 2021, p. 28). The Third Space is a metaphorical alchemical space that Bhabha conceived for an enunciation and negotiation of cultural identities. It’s the space that is created when the notion of identity having a fixed and uniform structure is abandoned, allowing interactions and exchanges between cultures leading to new dynamic forms of identity (Abou-Agag, 2021). It strives not so much for cultural diversity, but cultural difference co-existing with unity. The experiences of artists who are swept up within the churning of multiple cultures, illustrate the ongoing negotiation and blending of cultural identities in the Third Space.
BLACK INDIANS OF NEW ORLEANS
Big Chief Demond Melancon’s Africa (2011) is an emblem of trans-cultural celebration. The work features intricate bead weaving to portray African icons, including native animals and the legendary African warrior Shaka, king of the Zulu kingdom. The apron possesses a rich tactile quality with its folded velvet ribbons, textured beading, and a halo of feathers. Melancon uses the African imagery with the American Indian craft of beadwork to weave together these two identities and honour their history.
Black Masking developed as a unity between groups marginalised by racialized politics. A resident of the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Melancon grew up amongst the Black Masking culture of the city (Melancon, n.d.). This culture stemmed from unions made between Native Americans and African slaves escaping subjugation over 200 years ago. Larry Bannock recounts this relationship: “When we were slaves, it was the Native Americans…that accepted and helped us. […] In the Louisiana bayou, they were people that helped us. And they intermarried” (Bannock, cited in Just 2017, p. 73). The synthesis between these communities were crucial in forming a distinctive cultural identity that would later evolve into the Black Masking traditions.
The social fabric of New Orleans, woven with these alliances, was also marked by the dominance of white elites who showcased their power and status, particularly during the Civil War. In 1857, a group of white businessmen initiated the city’s carnival celebrations, designing elaborate parade floats to exhibit their governance and social standing. However, these displays of dominance were met with resilience from the amalgamated tribes. They responded by asserting their presence in the Mardi Gras parades, giving rise to the enduring Black Indian performance traditions (Just, 2017).
Today’s New Orleans Mardi Gras take place on the streets as a “thriving display of dance, community, craftmanship and pride”, “filled with the beating of Black Maskers’ drums” (Phillips, 2024, p. 150) where the participants confront one another in a ceremonial battle to determine which black masker is the prettiest. Big Chief Demond Melancon’s works including Africa (2011) are deeply embedded in this cultural context.
BALANCING BINARIES
Gordon Bennett found himself floating between two cultural realms. During his career he wrestled with the plurality of being part of two conflicting racial identities in Australia. “While many have always fallen between the aboriginal and non-aboriginal spheres, they were quickly pushed to the paradigmatic power of the binary into one or the other” (McLean, 1998, p. 134).
Bennett’s work Self Portrait (But I Always Wanted to Be One of The Good Guys) (1990) vividly illustrates his exploration of these themes. The piece portrays the artist as a child dressed in a cowboy outfit, a symbol rampant with connotations tied to American colonial history. It stands as a reflection back to a young Gordon Bennett skewed in his identity as “raised and educated as a white child while unknowingly black” (Gellatly, 2007, p. 16). The cowboy, an iconic figure often idealized in Western cinema, is steeped in notions of heroism and moral clarity, yet also represents the violent expansion and subjugation associated with colonial endeavours. This duality is mirrored in the colonial history of Australia, where the narrative of pioneering and nation-building is intertwined with the oppression and displacement of Indigenous peoples.
Incorporating the phrases “I AM LIGHT” and “I AM DARK,” Bennett’s work delves into the binaries of good and evil, influenced by cinematic storytelling and cultural myths. These words not only reflect the artist’s internal conflict but also critique the simplistic dichotomies imposed by society on racial identities. The contrast between light and dark echoes the deeply ingrained prejudices and stereotypes that have historically framed racial discourse.
Unlike Big Chief Demond Melancon, who works within unified dual cultural identities, Bennett’s work underscores the persistent fragmentation and discord between his identities. This lack of unification is a powerful commentary on the societal pressures to conform to rigid identity categories, and the personal turmoil that arises from such external constraints. Bennett’s experiences are reflective of a broader phenomenon in postcolonial societies, where individuals often grapple with their hybrid identities in environments that favour clear-cut classifications.
BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
Bharti Kher’s And All the While the Benevolent Slept (2008) offers a nuanced reflection on her extensive cross-cultural insights. As a London-born artist working between England and New Delhi, she dissects the dynamic ways in which identity shifts depending on the cultural sphere she is within (Ng, 2008). “If ‘race’ defined her in suburban England, ‘sex’ would define her in India in a way that made her conscious of the fact that she was identified as a ‘woman’” (Petersen, 2017, p. 164). The sculpture depicts the Chinnamasta, one of ten manifestations of the Hindu goddess Daśa Mahāvidyās. The various interpretations of the goddess can inform interpretations of Kher’s work.
‘Mahāvidyās’ combines the Sanskrit words for ‘great’ or ‘supreme’ (mahā) and “to know, to learn, to ascertain, to experience” (vidyā), translating it collectively to “supreme knowledge” (Benard, 1990, p. 22). “From the Hindu perspective supreme knowledge is soteriological, i.e., knowledge which reveals the way of releasing oneself from the bonds of cyclic existence” (Benard, 1990, p. 23). Based on this, Kher’s use of the Chinnamasta figure can be seen as an emblem of her endeavour to define her identity outside of the restrictive modes of identification and liberate herself from a ‘cyclic existence’ through a representational self-identification— “I am not from one place or another. We all play multiple roles. Some of them are chosen and some put upon us. My sculptures, too, defy all classification of class, race, time— they could be anybody” (Kher, cited in Petersen, 2017, p. 161). This is further accentuated by the goddess embodying the paradox of representing both life and death.
In one hand, Chinnamasta holds her decapitated head and, in the other, she holds a bladed weapon (Kinsley, 1987). However, in the place of a sword, Kher replaces it with a delicate China teacup. This substitution initially evokes ideas of mortality and the fragility of the human body. Yet, when viewed through the lens of Kher’s cultural diaspora, the teacup can symbolize the weapon of British colonisation in India and the dependency on India for transporting tea from China. This substitution layers the artwork with historical and cultural complexities, reflecting the artist’s critical engagement with her bicultural identity and the broader postcolonial discourse.
By positioning herself between the cultural contexts of England and India, Kher operates within this ‘third space’, where identities are not fixed but continually reconstituted through the interaction of diverse cultural influences. And All the While the Benevolent Slept becomes a powerful representation of this fluidity, embodying the tensions and harmonies between tradition and modernity, coloniser and colonised, the sacred and the tangible. Through her art, Kher not only navigates but also bridges these complex intersections, offering a profound commentary on the nature of identity in a trans-cultural world.
GENDER NORMS IN NIGERIA
Daniel Obasi navigates the complexities of diverging from traditional gender norms of masculinity within the cultural context of Lagos, Nigeria. Obasi’s photography work revolves around his fascination in fashion and themes of gender and sexuality. “Daniel developed an interest in the world of fashion, subsequently becoming intrigued by how society around him perceived gender roles and masculinity” (SHOWstudio, n.d.). This curiosity evolved into a powerful artistic vision, allowing Obasi to articulate strength and liberation through the beautiful and feminine.
Obasi’s work Corridors Of Power XVIII (2021) depicts a man situated on a pedestal, holding a bouquet of flowers, and adorned with a pageant sash and a large hairstyle. This piece places a man in a revered position, surrounded by symbols of Western competitive feminine beauty, such as those seen in beauty pageants. By doing so, Obasi advocates for and celebrates the beauty of queerness and marginalised sub-cultures within the oppressive conservative society of Nigeria. In William’s (2022) article introducing the artist, she explains “In Nigeria, members of the LGBTQ+ community are criminalised and, even if they evade the brutal legal system, are subjected to discrimination and violence in public life”. In response, “The portrait brings to life the metaphorical concept of cards of power and who holds them. It represents how decisions that impact a huge populace are made in this small corner by a select group of people” (Mohammed, 2022).
Obasi’s work operates within Homi Bhabha’s concept of the Third Space, creating imaginary worlds that blend symbols from both Lagos culture and LGBTQIA+ culture to address real-world issues within “a society that’s toxic, evil, [and] very judgemental” (Obasi, cited in Hilton, 2020, p. 19). By constructing these fantastical spaces, Obasi strives to make them “a place where one can reflect on politics without being afraid of speaking up; a place you can reflect on sexuality without being afraid of being judged; a place you can talk about gender roles without conforming; a place where women are powerful and men can be vulnerable” (Obasi, cited in Hilton, 2020, pp. 19-20). Through this space he has created with his art, Obasi is personally able to “define his own identity on his own terms” through “a process of self discovery and…experimentation” (Hilton, 2020, p. 19).
By dismantling entrenched notions of gender and uplifting those marginalised by them, Obasi’s body of work resonates with both African and global audiences. “Dismantling these notions and uplifting those who are marginalised by them, not only in Africa but around the world, is what he wants his body of work to represent” (Mohammed, 2022). Through his innovative and evocative art, Daniel Obasi continues to challenge and redefine the boundaries of cultural and gender identity, advancing movements that embrace dynamic identities.
UNITY + HETEROGENY
For many individuals, navigating multiple identities presents a significant challenge, as each identity demands its own cultural processes and validation. “Such a plurality is a source of stress and contradiction in both self-representation and social action” (Castells, 2009, p. 6). Art plays a crucial role in representing and honouring these tensions, providing a means for individuals to explore and express the complexities of their identities. Art, as Petersen (2017, p.142) notes, serves as “an instrument of orientation and positioning oneself in the world. Thanks to its ability to negotiate contradictions and encompass double articulations, tensions, and complexities, art can chart how identifications may shift continually and dynamically”. By stringing together these works of art, we can view the potential to reach and encourage audiences on their journey of defining their identities.
This collection further aims to challenge the continually emerging notions of universalism driven by migration and the pervasive influence of global media. By engaging in the ongoing conversation about how cultures can both merge and confront each other, the collection underscores the complexity of cultural interaction. Challenging universalism is crucial because it recognises the unique and diverse experiences of different cultures, countering intentions towards homogenised identities. Néstor García Canclini (2005, p. xxxi) highlights the need for “cross-cultural thinking and practices” amid growing disillusionment with static identities, suggesting that these approaches are essential for recognising and respecting differences. Canclini’s (2005) advocacy for cultural hybridity demonstrates that no identity is fixed; even the most seemingly pure folk cultures have histories of hybridisation. This perspective undermines any justification for cultural segregation, instead promoting a vision of interconnectedness while steadfastly honouring the richness of each identity. By doing so, the exhibition encourages a deeper understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity in an increasingly interconnected world.
Abou-Agag, N 2021, ‘Homi Bhabha’s Third Space and Neocolonialism’, Global Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 25-43
References
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