Written by Rickyah Blake

Being an artist comes with the challenge of accepting that there is nothing new under the sun. The process of researching and referencing inspirations is a crucial part of the making process. For The Bird of Things works, inspirations started by reflecting on a new environment. In becoming more aware of a foreign place, there was a commonality that stood out instantly, birds. These ancient animals have been referenced as the messengers and secret keepers since the beginning of time. The bird creature has been depicted in various works by renowned artist: Vincent Van Gogh, Jain Asselijn, Melchoir de Hondecoeter and many more. Beginning with birds as the inspiration honors my late great grandmother whose maiden name is Byrdsong. Birds have significance in Native American and African cultures. The points of inspiration in my works will always acknowledge those who came before me.

The Kingfisher by Vincent Van Gogh (1886)

In high school figures by the names of James Baldwin and Nina Simone awakened the spirit of Black art within me. Whenever and wherever my visual practice goes, I must always give credit to these two icons who opened the door in my mind to explore what it means to be Black and creating art.

*This is The Future* by Hito Steyerl (2019)

The Bird of Things project contains three parts, installation, performance, and moving image. Through the method of storytelling and image making, these works explore themes of race, media, control, and capitalism. Inspired by post-internet and new media movements, there is a fixation on how algorithms and technology impact the human psyche.

When learning about new media art, I came across the works of Hito Steyerl. Steyerl is a German artist known for her filmmaking. Interestingly, Steyerl keeps a low profile with no personal website to her works and very few Instagram posts. This public persona seems to be an act of protest of the overconsumption of media and technology considering a theme often explored in Steyerl’s work is surveillance capitalism. Moved by the works of Hito Steyerl, I wanted to share my opinion on new media through an installation, Rabbit Hole. Steyerl creates installations that are centered around her films creating a well rounded experience for viewers. In her work This is The Future, she produces a series of moving images questioning the future from an optimistic view point. This immersive video installation inspired me to transform the gallery space into a living room environment forcing attendees to step into the world of conspiracy and algorithmic bias. Rather than approaching future technology from a place of optimism, I adopt a more dark and pessimistic tone.

*The Black Panther* by Emory Douglas (1974)

Utilizing Steyerl’s method of drawing viewers attention through moving images, there is a video playing on an old fashioned TV in the middle of the gallery wall. The video shown on the television in the installation, Birds Aren’t Real, explores the interception of art and conspiracy. The rise of technology usage is calling upon artists to reflect on topics discussed on the internet. Many theories of conspiracy suggest that all systems of oppression are connected. We can see artists discussing similar topics in the book “Everything Is Connected: Art and Conspiracy”, a collection of art works by Douglass Eklund and in the 2018 Met exhibit exploring the same topic. In Emory Douglas’, The Black Panther, Douglas suggests that major corporations are the puppet masters. Birds Aren’t Real explores the intersectionality of government, business, and power through exploring theories told on alternative media platforms that link them all together.

*Your Fired - I Love You* by Todd Monaghan (2020)

Acting as wallpaper at the center of the installation is a collage wall, Talking Pigeons, built using paper and curated images including: CIA documents, countries flags, photos of lost Black lives, occult symbols, Hollywood movie scenes, receipts, newspaper clippings, and pigeon-cutouts. Talking Pigeons takes viewers down a rabbit hole of thoughts while confronting western truths. Creating a collage using images related to a singular topic is reminiscent of the works of Todd Monaghan. Monaghan collects images that function as archives of moments in American history.

The collage explores the loss of Black life and freedom in the rise of the digital age while simultaneously suggesting who is responsible. This overtness is seen in the works of multimedia artist, RaFia Santana’s project #PayBlackTime. I resonated with Santana’s work because she is from Brooklyn, New York and uses her works to enact change. Santana centers her works around liberation and justice for Black bodies in America who are under the oppression of white supremacy. The work #PayBlackTime suggests that the best way to absolve Black inequality is through white funds that benefit from it. Taking a more minimalistic approach, Santana works function as activism calling directly on viewers to participate rather than just view her work.

While reconciling with Blackness, the pressures of protecting my female body is one that cannot be ignored. Through the works of Yoko Ono’s Cut Piece first performed in 1964, we understand the role that gender plays in society. This level of vulnerability and inviting the stares and participation by her audience is mimicked by the public performance of Black Bird in a local park. Also taking into consideration Marina Abramovic’s theories on pushing the body to extremes, dressed in tights and a leotard in less than 50 degrees for a long period of time. Taking a more pessimistic approach to my work, I am not looking to invoke hope, but immediate action.

The theory of Afro-pessimism is highlighted in each of the works by playing close attention to how these themes mentioned earlier impact Black people in America historically and in modern times. Frank B. Wilderson III coined this term to be “a lens of interpretation that accounts for civil society’s dependence on anti-Black violence” expanded upon in his book Afro-pessimism published in April 2020. The term first discovered me through the works of Saidiya Hartman. Hartman in “Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments…” explores the Black femme identity as one that exists outside of the outskirts. This very notion of having no place in society, no value outside of labor, and seen merely as flesh inspires the performance piece Black Bird. In Black Bird, I am expressing the internal conflicts of being sexualized (seen and stared at) while feeling ostracized (ignored and laughed at).

References:

Wallach Art Gallery, 2023. *RaFia Santana*. [online] Available at: <https://wallach.columbia.edu/Uptown-23/RaFia-Santana>
Seth, S., 2019. *Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Social Upheaval*. [online] Available at: <https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wayward-Lives-Beautiful-Experiments-Troublesome/dp/1788163249/ref=pd_lpo_d_sccl_2/261-9961389-1492267?pd_rd_w=VBAdw&content-id=amzn1.sym.bb13d3fc-af40-4fff-a822-e0e4c415da96&pf_rd_p=bb13d3fc-af40-4fff-a822-e0e4c415da96&pf_rd_r=0H5JQ5ZNGZM5GVV0JQ9D&pd_rd_wg=KFP4j&pd_rd_r=56c430df-6b95-47ba-8073-cb54a4205d08&pd_rd_i=1788163249&psc=1>
Moten, F., 2021. *Afropessimism*. [online] Available at: <https://www.nationalbook.org/books/afropessimism/>
Andrew Kreps Gallery, 2023. *The Work of Hito Steyerl*. [online] Available at: <http://www.andrewkreps.com/artists/the-work-of-hito-steyerl?view=slider#14>
Electric Artefacts, 2023. *10 Famous New Media Artists You Should Know*. [online] Available at: <https://www.electricartefacts.art/news/10-famous-new-media-artists-you-should-know>
Saatchi Art, 2023. *Collage: What's Life?*. [online] Available at: <https://www.saatchiart.com/en-gb/print/Collage-What-s-Life/255796/8757340/view>
Artsy, 2023. *5 Artists Discuss UFOs, Pizzagate, and the Conspiracy Theories That Fascinate Them*. [online] Available at: <https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-5-artists-discuss-ufos-pizzagate-conspiracy-theories-fascinate>
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2023. *Everything Is Connected: Art and Conspiracy*. [online] Available at: <https://www.metmuseum.org/met-publications/everything-is-connected-art-and-conspiracy>

critical reflection.

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