Boston, MA
These photos were taken at the opening of the MassArt Museum opening in Boston. The exhibit was by the Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos. To me, these photos exhibit derived energy and deep remorse. Both the art, and the opening represent new beginnings and triumphs over negative and toxic contexts. Vasconcelo stated that this piece of art reflected the journey of Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman, who was an enslaved person that in 1781 sued (successfully) for her freedom in Boston. The piece itself is a massive conglomeration of textiles representing Elizabeth’s cultural ties, personal memories, and objects of value. The piece spans two stories, and expands across the space in an organic asymmetrical form. As it is filled with air, it is both uplifted and weighed down by the very nature of it’s being— which is abundantly representative of the woman who inspired the piece. It would be wrong to say that there is not sadness in this space as well. There is of course the dichotomy of a Portuguese artist representing the experience of an enslaved woman, and ultimately profiting off of it. Since Portugal was one of (if not the first) country to support and pursue the slave trade. In this sense, the artist’s identity is forced into the space— though not through triumph, but through fear and guilt of the history their country has to claim. There is of course, also the issue of leaving. Those who enter this space, must leave it. They must also, decide a point at which their lives are more important than the story being told by the artist. Thus, there is an immense sense of power and authority here too. This is reflected by all of the various relationships represented in the space: artist and viewer, artist and objet d’art, artist and space, art and viewer, viewer and space, objet d’art and space, and objet d’art and viewer. All of these relationships intertwine and indicate a taking and giving of power through attention. Ultimately, I believe this overwhelms the space and implicates the tension derived from the work of art photographed, and the nature of the activity in and of itself.
