Its purpose was to discuss Basquiat in this imperial present, placing his amazing, powerful, distinctive work into black body intersections, black body perception. Stimulating dialogue spoke on Basquiat's progressive influence on queer thinkers and art/sociology theorists, bridging narrative between complex minds and visual language.
"There was potential for conflating, room for vibrance, dynamism, queerness, resolution, blackness, and death-- celebration, ritual."The panel analyzed Basquiat in different angles. Semantics and racial identity politics addressed his heritage as Haitian and Puerto Rican, his multi-disciplinary interests, his fluency in English, Spanish, and French, his use of African words and ancestry, historical negativity. Each sharp shooting response activated my resurgent love for the tragic painter, an intelligent man whose methodical practice and heavy hitting dialect came and exited my life at varied intervals.
This conversation made me utterly realize that he can never be a fleeing force ever again.
Basquiat is here to stay. His body may no longer spray paint sophisticated prose on random buildings or cross out grouped linguistics on torn cardboard scraps with thickly applied Oil Bar sticks, his work remains active and alive. Generation after generation continues to find something resonating about Basquiat-- whether it be his paintings, his drawings, his writings, his fashion statements, his intelligence, his attractiveness.
"I discovered him through Julian Schnabel's film. I thought the story fascinating. Basquiat redefined painting, invented a newer perception, threatened to eclipse his contribution to art, establish awareness of his place, wasn't ignorant and still very significant today."- Singleton
After opening up with Dr. Clinton Wills reading Langston Hughes' famous poem, "Genius Child" and a sincerely respectful moment of silence, the panelists discuss what led them to pay close attention to Basquiat and the frank messages his work provoked.
"I was aesthetically drawn to this cool, weird art kid, his unapologetic fashion shaped my college art history."- Huxtable
"Basquiat had an access to an idea, championed a certain kind of cannon, eventually realizing few black artists operating on prolific, avante garde mannerism. He set model for questions, sense of experimentation from art, music, dynamic, [incorporating] difficult language, text and imagery, colonialism with strong disgust and frustration, [displaying] sensibility and rare visibility."- Saggese
One of the panelists said, "he made a space for us to sit." They couldn't have any more correct. A few more highlights, I captured here. |
"He was the first DIY [artist] on MTV and GQ, taking up responsibility as a scholar before art history could catch up, to go vital without agency, tripped of name ownership, mediate proximity, a name that once was a life."
After the engaging conversation ended, mesmerizing to the brink of my stimulated brain, I left the Langston Hughes Auditorium and took a moment to stand in awe at his interment. Underneath maroon circle with turquoise outline and schematic lightning bolt cracks, lies a cosmogram medallion, his remains. I shut out the gathering crowd, feeling his eloquent poetry invade and sink right into my pores-- right on his 113th birthday. I couldn't believe fated luck.
It was a needed experience. The sustenance granted a sated soulful fullness.
"Tenderness and authentic are not weak emotions."- SaggeseVisionary voices of Langston and Jean-Michel, two vulnerable, brilliant humans, shared the cerebral cortex of my mental stage. whispering to continue onward as both artist and writer.
And I simply cannot refuse.
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