Love Is the Message, The Message Is Death
Arthur Jafa
Love Is the Message, The Message Is Death marked a new chapter in Arthur Jafa's life and career after
refining his film which explores the visual culture of African Americans. As "Ultralight Beam" filled the air as a series of video footage flashed across the screen, no one moved a muscle even after they sat through it as if every part of them went on pause while their thoughts catch up. "Bare minimum, you’re not going to walk away from this with some microwave experience of blackness." said Jafa.
Jafa curated images that contribute to the implementation of his ideas of "black aesthetics", "black visual intonation", recounting the cultures, histories and experiences of African Americans in America to this day. The audience was in awe as the massive imagery of undeniable pasts stares down at them, totally stunned as the poignant music and provoking images bounced around in their head.
The exhibition has traveled and will continue to travelling to institution around the world, spreading the cultural identity of blackness in America.
Galerie Rudolfinum
Photographs by Tan Sher Lynn
References
Freeman, N. (2018) "The Messenger: How a Video by Arthur Jafa Became a Worldwide Sensation—and Described America to Itself", Artnews, March 27. Available at: http://www.artnews.com/2018/03/27/icons-arthur-jafa/ (Accessed: 15 March 2019)
Gebreyesus, R. (2018) "Why the film-maker behind Love Is the Message is turning his lens to whiteness", The Guardian, December 11. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/dec/11/arthur-jafa-video-artist-love-is-the-message
(Accessed: 16 March 2019)
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