The Shadows Took Shape : Afrofuturism at The Studio Museum at Harlem
1. 2. 3. 1. MLK, David Huffman 2008 (Acrylic, oil and glitter on canvas) 2. The Score, Cauleen Smith 2012 (Porcelain, underglaze, acrylic paint and music stand) 3. Slave Ship Zong Series, Edgar Arceneaux, 2013 (Graphite, acrylic paint and paper on drywall) ‘The Shadows Took Shape,’ at the Studio Museum addresses a concern that I, and many of my confidantes have been discussing heatedly, secretly even, amongst ourselves. I say secretly, because many of us have discovered to discuss such things have become, well, tabu. The conversations usually take place in walks in parks in Brooklyn, where little black children used to play, only to be now displaced by designer dogs trampling upon the grass with their colonizing owners; or when Award shows are stumbled upon and there are little or no presence of US despite the prevalence of our creations (aka Elvis, you know the deal). It is a bit of a conundrum, to be fair - here in the U.S...