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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
"Synthesizing Cubism And Surrealism: Wifredo Lam's 1940s Cuban Works", Kelsey Winiarsky
"Synthesizing Cubism And Surrealism: Wifredo Lam's 1940s Cuban Works", Kelsey Winiarsky
Africana Studies Student Research Conference
As a modernist artist, Wifredo Lam used issues of racial degradation and colonialism as a catalyst to create work that directly addressed issues of colonialism in Cuba. Akin to Picasso’s process of appropriating of African motifs within a modern, Cubist style, Wifredo Lam created and appropriated a pastiche of both Surrealistic and Cubist styles into his 1940s paintings. The utilization of these modern styles engendered Lam’s international reputation while providing him with a powerful, creative outlet to express his struggle as an Afro-Cuban. Through the use of African masks and the Santería religion in his paintings during this time period, …
"Africa In The Museum: The Politics Of The Display Of African Material Culture At The Field Museum", Kristin Otto
"Africa In The Museum: The Politics Of The Display Of African Material Culture At The Field Museum", Kristin Otto
Africana Studies Student Research Conference
In this paper, I will analyze how museum exhibitions use material culture to construct and present a narrative about Africa. Exhibiting material culture reflects the power, authority, and ideology of the exhibitor, sometimes at the expense of the displayed culture’s agency in representation. Museums have a particularly infamous history of distorting African culture in exhibits, often validating racist ideologies. Consequently, zealous museum critics have begun to question the relevance of museums in the future public education. The public, however, continues to visit museums and experience exhibits featuring African objects. Based on the challenges and controversies museums exhibiting African objects face …