Given the social activism inherent in creating artistic work that lies at the sometimes controversial and often subversive intersection of race and sexuality, the work of key Black queer artist's continually tell a localised yet universal story; at once personal yet collective in its appeal to the likeminded.
It is predominantly in the collaborative pool of performance where this form of artistic activism powers intercommunity well being, forming socially engaged, truly 'immersive' practice, like the ballroom culture resurgence spearheaded by the likes of D'relle West and Jay Jay Revlon.
Music and Visual Arts, mainstays of the creative economy, are also seeing queer invocations; localised with a South and East London, UK flava with upcoming vocalist/rappers Karnage Kills and Arun. The social media wave : i.e. those who combine their talent with personal branding marketing and savvy, use the digital medium in addition to entering traditional art channels. It can be a viable alternative to dependence on formal arts institutions when building a career. Social Media is an arena where elite art conventions: the influential critics; financial patronage or exhibitions at the right gallery- matter not a jot. Followers matter.
This has opened up a form of artistic production, that has created niche audiences, as opposed to mainstream, and broadened the creative arts market. That is the really positive aspect.
From a psychological perspective, underneath the bravado and in your face activism, there are stark realities facing Qpocs in the UK. Oftentimes the LGBTQ 'superlobby' downplays these realities and the intersectional nature of them are not given priority.
Being ostracized from your family and community of origin does have psychological impacts. The venal individualism that we see on Instagram: everything from the masculine Gay male body worship to Femme queer Make up tutorials, are in some part a reaction to being marginalised. The difference between now and say 15 years ago, is that social media has enabled tribal bonds to flourish. This is resilience in action, and it holds commercial potential. Activism does not have to embody social aspects alone, but entrepreneurship, too!
Platforming their creativity and a resolve to live their best life, gives them the power to point a middle finger at people who do not accept their realities - even though it can lead to a performative role, so often the sanctuary for queers -and particularly black queers, in the UK.
One negative aspect is it’s homogeneous nature can deny diversity. There is also, the data collection and surveillance liberties that are challenging personal privacy, for everyone. But whatever we want to say…..this is our social reality!
Black people - through dance, fashion and song have long subverted conservative modes and values to survive White Supremacy.
Artist/activist's Arun and Jacob V Joyce are contemporary, queer examples of this. Arun, [whom since this article was originally conceived morphed into a completely femme personae], fuses his Bengali origins with a South London metropolitan vibe that incorporates Dancehall and Urban Local vernacular, a sexuality that he owns, and platforms it with bravado and style that speaks to a generation of Londoner's operating at the creative edge of London 2020.
Jacob V Joyce has an enviable Insta following, and their authentic activism, incorporating womanist theory, socially conscious lobbying and working class pride, has a lot to do with it.
It's not that this is in any way new for a visual artist, i.e working in this social political milieu- it's the medium and technology that are.
Their creative endeavour's are as much a reaction to society's framing them as outsiders, as about the body politic and sexual evolution. Their daily updates and ever increasing tribal followings provide an alternative /complementary model to the art status quo, and competes favourably with traditional gate-keeping measures and static modes of reception.
Insta Culture provides an endless stream of creativity, some more original and political than others. What is now required is appropriate critical methodologies to assess 'artistic merit'. This needs to be based on new values and frameworks more applicable to social media's channel of radical artistic production, rather than the traditional models of critique, that were used before the advent of the internet.
The rate at which black queer millennials are using social media to become both Artist and Manager, Muse and Auteur, Commodity and commodifier - creating their virtual personae on the global scale as Art-preneurs, has of course, changed the direction of Qpoc artistic production. Once dependant on agencies, art patrons and institutional engagements, the rampant individualism and money making lure of personal branding can be seen as a perfect antidote to a history of Qpoc marginalisation.
Overall the mental health benefits outweigh the negative aspects for Qpocs who platform themselves and spark creativity. And with the advent of Ms. Rona [ the queer colloquialism for the Corona virus] we are witnessing Social Media's vital ability to connect with each other, in this, a new dawn of social isolation.
As a curator who has studied and exhibited contemporary African art for over two decades, I want to elicit a genealogical trend in the framing of this working...placing the work of these diaspora ingenues into a broader more spiritual context, too.
Masquerade culture - the history of it and its Diaspora variance can be seen as implicit to an understanding of why so many Qpocs are able to perform within their personal brand, so effectively.
In African masquerade high values are placed on performance, make-up and costume. Sexual energy is a subtext, yet, importantly, it doesn't override the feeling of celebration.
These are features found in the work of so many Qpoc social media sensations, yet they are also rooted in the cradle of African masquerade culture.
Vive la creation revolution!
Ⓒ Shaun Wallace 31/03/20
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