Just Words
‘TEXTures’ Shows How Individuals Perceive Culture Through Language
Language is arbitrary. It is a symbolic system that labels feelings, ideas and experiences, but has no universal meaning. Language is ephemeral. It is a tool that is rendered useless in the hands of those who don’t know how to use it. The artists of “TEXTures,” the modern art installation at the National Museum of African Art, speak volumes about language.
In many of the pieces, the six artists use random text to demonstrate their feelings about oppression, sexual liberation, the importance of being heard or the unimportance of words in general. The visual components of the texts provide viewers with a tactile sense of language, consequently reinforcing its fragility. The artists seem to simultaneously recognize the empowerment gained from being heard publicly, although each exercises such power in different ways.
“Writing in the Sand,” by Willem Boshoff, was an especially powerful installation. The exhibit plaque refers to a selection of indigenous African languages that are threatened by extinction in the face of more dominant languages. The piece contains obscure English terms that can only be understood in languages such as Sososho or Tshivenda. Boshoff, therefore, acknowledges how arb
itrary language can be and challenges those who speak a dominant language with inscrutable terms. Even the order of words offers no insight to the English-speaking viewer because the words themselves are unfamiliar.
Perhaps the most profound aspect of Boshoff’s work is his medium. Two layers of sand, measuring approximately eight feet, line the opposing walls. The terms are lightly spray-painted in stencil lettering. In this way, the artist further comments on the potential danger of losing one’s language because the exhibit, like language, can be easily erased.
Fathi Hassan, however, offers a kind of solution to the arbitrariness of language. Hassan demonstrates an interaction between written and visual language, in which photos appear alongside Arabic text, in “Lo sguardo versa l’ignoto (Glance Toward the Unknown)” and “Egypt Il passo storico dell’uomo leggero (The Light Man’s Historical Footstep).” The text is illegible but is formed into pictures and included with a photograph of the image in which the text is drawn. As such, viewers gain meaning from the words, despite being unable to translate them.
According to the museum’s information, Hassan challenges the European assumption that the written word is absolute, that it provides a concrete channel into reality. Hassan offers English-speaking audiences a glimpse into the challenges that many non-English speaking individuals face when they become part of American culture. Hassan gives viewers meaning with graphical representation, while simultaneously using Egyptian script as a symbol of his ethnicity.
Ghada Amer’s “Encyclopedia of Pleasure,” on the other hand, harnesses the power of language through creativity, which by definition means the capacity to discuss something in a different context from a different point in time. A collection of 57 canvas boxes are embroidered in gold, with passages from an ancient book that circulated through the Arab world between the 11th and 16th centuries. The chapters Amer selected concern definitions of feminine beauty and guidelines for men on the benefits of bedding or courting virgin over non-virgin women. Amer seems to use these ancient texts to enlighten viewers about the longevity of misogyny. Her language choices are deliberate—you cannot discern where the text begins and ends—and therefore make bold statements about feminine sexuality as it is viewed today. She seems to be asking, “Where do we draw the line?”
Amer takes advantage of the freedom to play with the contextual rules that govern language usage in a particular culture. She introduces ancient thought to a modern-day setting and the viewer is forced to consider the words in an entirely new situation. Although we may not find such an overt publication in this era—blatantly describing how a woman should walk, talk, look and behave—the school of thought still permeates, if not silently.
Through presenting ideas that border on shocking, Amer exercises role reversal, because even in the present day, women who speak candidly about sexual matters are frowned upon in most cultures. Instead of ignoring the existence of female subservience or gender socialization, she brings it to the forefront, confronting her audience head on. As such, the words—sewn in metallic, gold thread—cannot be dismissed as outdated thinking. Amer shows us how women’s individuality is threatened by cultural norms.
These are just a few examples of the museum’s modern art installations. They all serve as fine representations of how individuals perceive culture through language. Each artist seems to embrace the opportunity to use language as an expression of freedom—artistic or otherwise—that people of varying cultures were stripped of in generations passed.
“TEXTures” runs through Sept. 4 at the National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave., SW. For more information, please call (202) 633-4600 or visit www.africa.si.edu.
Vanessa LaFaso is an editorial intern for The Washington Diplomat.
Divine Inspiration
Artistic renderings of worship have existed since the dawn of time. Many churches house some of the most beautiful iconic images of faith from almost every denomination. Such images often provide a channel through which worshippers may feel closer to their god—or gods as it were. At the National Museum of African Art, “Where Gods and Mortals Meet” is a collection of ceremonial and traditional art from the Urhobo peoples of Nigeria.
The exhibit contains ancient images from protection rituals to masquerades, as well as a modern installation by artist Bruce Onobrakpeya, 73, who studied at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology. Onobrakpeya creates an atmosphere of pan-Nigerian culture, borrowing elements from several cultures throughout the region. The result is a representation of commingled values and practices that erases ethnic boundaries. The artwork from past eras in conjunction with the modern installation demonstrates the sustenance of tradition within a contemporary world.
The Urhobo tribes, although independent of each other, share similar beliefs in the importance of established relationships and dialogue with their gods. Many spirits were believed to exist within natural objects. Several of the exhibit pieces, such as copper bells—considered gifts from the gods—were used to maintain communication with the spirit world. Other items, such as those displayed in the “Spirits From the Waters” segment, were used to ensure the pleasure of deities. During festivals in honor of the water spirits, participants would dance while wearing elaborate masks made of wood or bamboo. Three dancers were needed to operate the largest mask on view—20 feet long—before being disassembled and sent afloat on the river.
Although many of the items exemplify natural spirit worship, the Urhobo people also revered the spirits of their ancestors. These statues were designed to be both aesthetically pleasing to the gods and horrifyingly repellant to mortals. The figures are the most massive in the installation, and are said to have been built into trees with the most durable wood so they would grow to immeasurable proportions.
The coterie of textures, materials and forms arouses our tactile sense, which is often left dormant when viewing two-dimensional paintings or sculptures smoothed down with modern tools. The tactility makes sense because these objects of art were created to get closer to objects of worship.
“Where Gods and Mortals Meet: Continuity and Renewal in Urhobo Art” runs through Sept. 25 at the National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave., SW. For more information, please call (202) 633-4600 or visit www.africa.si.edu.
--Vanessa LaFaso
