Black Identity & Beauty:  Art At Wadsworth Atheneum

HARTFORD — African American identity, America’s complex history of race relations, definitions of race, and the barrage of influences that color our perceptions of ethnicity, gender and beauty are the subjects of two contemporary art exhibitions organized by The Amistad Center for Art & Culture and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.

“Bare Walls, No Boundaries,” organized by The Amistad Center, is a showcase for seven distinctive video artists. The collection opened June 14 and will remain on view until August 17.

“Boundless Beauty,” a selection of paintings, photographs and video works from the Atheneum’s permanent collection, will remain up until September 21.

Several video works in “Bare Walls, No Boundaries” question how pop culture and its pervasive presence in mass media have reinforced perceptions or stereotypes. Video artist Michael Paul Britto’s “Cool Pose #1” addresses constructions of black male identity and the influences that hip hop has on the individuals themselves and the authority that defines them.

The peculiarities of fame, the art market, celebrity as product shill, and hip-hop superstardom are parodied by artist Fahamou Pecou in “Instant Celebrity: Rise of an Urban Legend.” Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” video — notorious for featuring burning crosses — provides a satiric departure point for Elizabeth Axtman’s “Where’s the Party At,” which explores her dual heritage as an Afro-Panamanian and German American.

Jefferson Pinder’s “Juke” asks viewers to see and hear beyond black and white through ten close-up portraits of African Americans lip-synching pop songs recorded by white singers.

Equally provocative works include “Exchange” by the interracial duo of McCallum and Tarry; the title alludes to the “one-drop rule” of bloodlines and laws prohibiting miscegenation. Notions of female beauty are explored in Abbey Williams’ “La Mulatto,” a meshing of the artist’s self-portrait with “La Negresse,” a terracotta bust by the 19th Century French sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and in Lauren Woods’ “The Teenth of June,” which satirizes the American institution of the beauty pageant.

According to Rehema Barber, curatorial associate for The Amistad Center, the video creations shown in “Bare Walls, No Boundaries” question and debate the concept of black identity and beauty through wit, humor, historical reference, or biting commentary — and always from an artist’s singular lens.

“Boundless Beauty,” organized by the Wadsworth as a companion show to “Bare Walls, No Boundaries,” features related works by Lorraine O’Grady, Ana Mendieta, Adrian Piper, Lorna Simpson, Carrie Mae Weems, and others. The artists of “Boundless Beauty” have all explored the contemporary themes of race, beauty, and representation in very different ways.

Carrie Mae Weems examines the historical hierarchy of skin color associated with black skin. Howardena Pindell challenges racial discrimination by transforming herself from black to white using make-up, gauze, and a blonde wig. Lorna Simpson addresses the societal pressure to conform to standards of white beauty, and Ana Mendieta undermines the limits of gender representation.

The exhibit also features Lorna Simpson’s “Wigs II” (1994-2006), on special loan courtesy of the artist and Salon 94.

Together, the works in “Boundless Beauty” propose a broader notion of what is and can be considered beautiful.

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is at 600 Main Street in Hartford. Hours are Wednesday through Friday, 11 am to 5 pm; and Saturday and Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. The museum stays open the first Thursday of each month until 8 pm.

For more information on “Bare Walls, No Boundaries,” call 860-838-4133 or visit AmistadArtAndCulture.org.

For more information on “Boundless Beauty” call 860-278-2670 or visit WadsworthAtheneum.org.