Visualising Slavery: Art Across the African Diaspora

This book explores the diverse body of works produced by black artists to confront the difficult aesthetic and political realities of transatlantic slavery and the international slave trade. It adopts a comparative perspective to investigate the neglected and repeatedly unexamined similarities and differences between African diasporic visual arts traditions. The aim is to re-examine complex theoretical paradigms and provide an interdisciplinary examination into the eclectic and experimental oeuvre produced by black artists.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 01 March 2021
Publisher: Liverpool University Press

This book aims to uncover and recover a wealth of under-examined artworks and research materials to critically interrogate, debate, and analyze the intricate threads underpinning visual representations of transatlantic slavery across the Black diaspora. Spanning both sides of the Atlantic, these scholars, curators, and practitioners showcase the radical and revisionist practices adopted by African diasporic artists in confronting the challenging aesthetic and political realities surrounding the social and cultural legacies, as well as national and mythical memories, of Transatlantic Slavery and the international Slave Trade. Taking a comparative approach, this book explores the diverse body of works created by black artists as they grapple with the ways in which their neglected and repeatedly unexamined similarities and differences testify to the existence of an African diasporic visual arts tradition. Through in-depth investigations into the rich tapestry of resistance strategies at work within these artists' extensive bodies of work, it becomes evident that their fight for the right to art for art's sake is an ongoing endeavor, as they challenge mainstream tendencies to examine their works solely from a sociological and political lens.

To achieve this interdisciplinary exploration, this book adopts a cross-cultural perspective, bringing together artists, curators, academics, and public researchers from the United States, the United Kingdom, and across the African diaspora. The overarching objective of this book is to re-examine complex yet under-researched theoretical paradigms regarding the patterns of influence and cross-cultural exchange across both America and the Black world. By delving into the eclectic and experimental oeuvre produced by black artists, this book seeks to shed light on the multifaceted ways in which they have contributed to shaping the artistic landscape, challenging societal norms, and fostering cultural dialogue.

In conclusion, this book offers a groundbreaking exploration into the under-examined world of transatlantic slavery visual representations, providing a rich tapestry of insights and perspectives that challenge our understanding of this complex historical period. Through the interdisciplinary lens of art and culture, it offers a valuable contribution to the ongoing dialogue about the legacies of slavery and their impact on contemporary society.

Weight: 492g
Dimension: 155 x 231 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800349216