Mar 26, 2019 – Jul 21, 2019
Musee-Orsay — Paris France
At the insistence of and in proxy for my good friends Celeste and Marlena, I went to see the black model show. I didn’t know what to expect other than their recommendations hold weight. They are both Black women that love art and work amidst the sector. They have refined tastes and sensibilities. I think I share some of their tastes but I’m just a smidge ratchet. This is my review/lens at first glance of the Modele Noir show. I tried to experience the exhibition with little research to see what came to the surface for me.
In preparing to see the show I reflected on the idea of Black Bodies creating and shaping trends in all aspects of life. With a particular emphasis on the intense global fascination and hypersensitivity around Black bodies.
Timelines
I was most struck by the historical timelines throughout the show.
As I scanned the text, I thought the following random thoughts (ebonics included): So how you [colonizers] translate Uncle Toms Cabin (for all it’s worth I haven’t read it but side-eye), then the following year the text around inequality of human races is published? How are these concurrent or contemporary thoughts?
If I read correctly the French re-ran slavery after having abolished slavery. Imagine how that shit felt. Moving forward the first human zoo in Paris is created some years later. Then the Fisk Jubilee singers are on tour in France (I’ve been side-eyeing them since my ethnomusicology 101 class and the old ladies in the church that kept that high pitch singing tradition alive, one of the choirs aspirations was to disassociate or “evolve” from Black folk music, church finger up as I exit).
All the while the French are still colonizing and incorporating across large parts of Africa.
Snapple Fact:The fuck shit continues.
Works Worth Writing About
As far as the art I have three pieces that spoke to me amongst many others, sorry sorry not sorry I didn’t feel like taking my phone out every five seconds. Alias the show was poppin’ and ministering to my spirit on all cylinders.
Cartoonist — Cham re: Writer — Alexandre Dumas
I went to see the show with Baps and I think his brain just works differently as he is Senegalese and has lived in Paris most of his life. We encountered a piece that was not translated in English, Baps began to laugh. I’d already breezed by but came back to inquire about what was so funny, I wanted in on the joke. He couldn’t translate it for me so we went to google. Insert photo of the translated piece. Baps thought that Dumas was making fun of himself.
I think I smirked a bit mostly because I couldn’t contextualize it — some things were just not translating well for me. I could look at the piece and tell it was on some snide shit (its a caricature), but often in the Black community we feel that if we re-contextualize color-ism and passing if we “make fun of ourselves its ok.” I think there is something to be said about that but we must always remember that it comes from a place that isn’t from us or for us. I could go on and on but I’ll stop there. Click the images below to see the translation of the French text.
I believe Cham and Dumas knew each other or knew of each other and it may not have been how he felt but rather a reflection of the sentiments of the time.
Snapple Fact: Dumas was the Black (by America’s one-drop rule) French man who wrote the Three Musketeers.
Sculptor — Charles Cordier
The sculptor Charles Cordier the only thing I have to say which is probably so “low brow” in the art world is that his sculptures literally look like they are breathing. My goodness. 👀🙌🏾. I took a photo and was even more enamored by his work because my two good friends Traka and Sooh from @sugarwater_gallery are welders and sculptors so I have a much greater appreciation and understanding for sculpture. It’s no small feat.
On another note, turn your attention to the small text on the label and see the museum acquired the piece in the 19th century from Napoleon's mansion (is this the same one that reconstituted slavery?). I think that’s the kind of stuff we should look at when going to museums is who owns the work, where they acquired it from, who it’s a gift of, etc. That's the real history of a thing, how many hands it's passed through and where those hands have been.
Museum Text Excerpt: In the age of Enlightenment, debate around human variation was highly topical…The sculptor was close to some of his models and introduced a strong element of ethnic characterization into his work from 1847-1848 in order to protest more effectively against the European monopoly on beauty and to celebrate the idea of universal beauty.
Painter — Marcel verdier
This piece struck a nerve so much so that I wasn’t inclined to photograph it on the first pass. I didn’t get the name of the artist for that reason I didn’t want to get close to it again. It was too loud. Went back in my photos and found the description so I took a photo of that first. What struck me being a student of the film is that everything in the frame is intentional. I read this piece and the baby on the ground with the dog really got my craw. What the position and proximity translates to is that the Black baby is equal to or on the same social level as the puppy dog. Which may even be elevated status by today’s terms in the states. Generally theres a large group of “white” people go to war for dogs over warring for people from different ethnic backgrounds. They see images of civil unrest in the street and do next to nothing. Let something happen at the local SPCA. Shit they will burn it down.
At the center of the painting lashings are inflicted on a Black man by a Black man. Turn your attention to the Black lady who is distracting the white baby from the beating. Historically how often have we been asked to pacify white folks feelings? I can think of a number of times in my own personal history. How many time do we as a people continue to beat on each other? I can think of a number of times in my own personal history.
Imma just leave that there.
Museum Text Excerpt: For abolitionists, a strong visual impact was the best way to raise public awareness and to generate a feeling of guilt by confronting people with their own indifference or passivity. This strategy was adopted by Marcel Verider…
PreOccupation & Intense fascination
Black peoples bodies shape and influence trends from the initial migration, slave trade, 20th century entertainment, well into today. The fluidity of our form is influenced by the gaze and interpretative realities of the people around us. I don’t fully understand the preoccupation with Black people. The part that I get hung up on is how we are the focus and the periphery and yet at times we can be so detested. “White” folks gotta get to the root of that shit. White is in quotes because disclaimer it doesn’t represent all caucasian people.
As a Black person from America I’ve been interested in Paris because of the liberty it seemed to have allotted some of my favs like Eartha Kitt, Uncle James Baldwin, Josephine Baker, etc. all of which were able to find different levels of success in France than they were in the States. After seeing this show I wonder what was different, what their day to day was really like.
I can see how an elevated level of “freedom” was possible, there are people from the world around in France and I never felt during my stay like someone did me something solely on the basis of my color per say. This isn’t a new phenomenon as when I travel I often feel like I can transcend American racial standards (more on that later).
But what I will say is that if you just lift up France’s historical skirt you see some of the same shit you see the world around regarding race relations and the preoccupation with occupying the same spaces as Black folks just to study and make remarks about them. Side eye.
Closing
Just a gentle commentary on all the swag captured. There were so many facial expressions that I understand with my entire body, so many look-alike(s), check out the photos below. Swag is ancestral and a language in and of itself.
Love y’all (“white” folks included) and feeling blessed to travel and see us all over the globe.