Week 2 - Will Rea - African Art and Authenticity: A Text with a Shadow

The text discusses the complexities of African art and the issues surrounding authenticity.
Quote from Roland Barthes in "The Pleasure of the Text": "There are those who want a text (an art, a painting) without a shadow, without the 'dominant ideology'; but this is to want a text without fecundity, without productivity, a sterile text….The text needs its shadow….subversion must produce its own chiaroscuro"
The role of African art as a mirror of Western colonial history prompts a significant ongoing debate.

The exhibitions "'Primitivism' in 20th Century Art" (Museum of Modern Art, 1984) and "Magiciens de la Terre" (Centre Pompidou, 1989) spurred discussions about the representation of African art in Western contexts.
The first exhibition illustrated African art's influence on Western modernists (e.g., Proto-Cubists, Expressionists, Surrealists).
The second exhibition aimed to equate contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora with that of Western avant-gardes, though this was seen as a misleading approach.
Both exhibitions sought to highlight the "affinities" between tribal (African) and modern (Western) art.
Postmodern critics have pointed to the intellectual appropriation of African art by Western institutions.
Many mainstream art institutions continue to ignore this critique despite the evident tension.

Who creates meaning for African art?
Who or what determines its cultural authenticity?
The concept of authenticity is often rooted in discussions related to cultural appropriation rather than just fakes and forgeries.

The notion of "traditional society" is a Western construct originating from Victorian views and Romantic ideas.
There is criticism towards the simplification of African cultures as isolated, internally cohesive units.
This idea feeds into claims of cultural uniqueness—where material cultures and ritual systems are seen as distinctive.
Important examples include studies on the Dogon people, who have often been framed as uniquely representative of African culture.

There is a prevalence in African art studies to define art produced before colonialism as authentic (untainted by Western influence).
Art created in a colonial context is often deemed inauthentic due to the involvement of new economic systems and patronage.
Museums and collectors maintain this binary, favoring pre-colonial works while disregarding post-colonial artistic expressions which fall outside this ideal.

Examples of major exhibitions:
- "Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought"
- "Gold of Africa"
These exhibitions often uphold traditional definitions of authenticity based on pre-colonial and early colonial periods.

The act of collecting African art is critiqued as an act of cultural appropriation with colonial overtones.
Collectors operate from a flawed framework that relies on traditional definitions of authenticity, ignoring the complexity of artistic production.
The roll of the collector is often viewed as one that reinforces sorting of African art into hierarchies of worth based on preconceived authenticity.
Authenticity is paradoxically defined in the absence of explicit contaminating forces from the collector's role while simultaneously relying on it.

Significant changes occurred within artistic practices due to European presence, contradicting claims that colonial contact left artistic traditions untouched.
Shifts in styles and iconographies demonstrate the impact of these interactions.
For example, transformations in the warrior masquerades of Nigeria and the introduction of materials and methods influenced by colonial structures.

The anonymity of African artists is often perceived as essential to the authenticity of their works.
This notion of anonymity arises from a misunderstanding of African art’s cultural context, often reflecting Western biases towards individual creators.
The lack of attribution is frequently accepted as part of African art’s identity, effectively sidelining the individual’s creative agency.
Fagg's earlier recognition of the dialectic between tradition and individual genius is largely swept aside in favor of collective definitions.

The involvement of traders mediates the relationship between artists and collectors, defining how art is perceived and categorized.
Various markets exist in Nairobi, showcasing a range of African art forms, some perceived as traditional, others dismissed as "tourist art".
The role and significance of cultural context in which art is created are often shunned in favor of conventional displays aligned with Western tastes.

Tourist art presents a paradox in authenticity discussions: it is generally viewed as crude and mass-produced while being deeply intertwined with the financial realities of many artisans.
The term "tourist art" often serves as a means of exclusion from established canons of respectability and authenticity.
The essential difference between art produced for tourists and traditional cultural artifacts raises questions about legitimacy based on perceived intent of the form.

A reconsideration of what constitutes authenticity and who defines it is necessary as we approach the end of the 20th century.
We must acknowledge the importance of context and artist intention in defining authenticity of African art while moving beyond traditional ideologies rooted in colonial perspectives.