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Tales from The ciTy: london
words J.J. CHARLESWORTH To anyone growing up in Britain in Yet Gallagher’s elliptical subject-
the 1970s and 80s, it was clear matter echoes the trouble of being
what racism was, and you knew that identified as a ‘black artist’ by a
there was something to be aspired mainstream that ‘celebrates’ diversity
to in diversity. Twenty-five years as long as you make art about being
later, anti-racism and diversity black. And what could be more relevant
are official policy in art. In to a city such as Liverpool, with
agreement with the government, public its historical links with the slave
galleries and museums have to make trade, than an art show about black
efforts to increase the proportion of identity and slavery? What’s irksome
their audience and workforce coming is the narrow idea of what audiences
from Britain’s ethnic minorities, are supposed to be interested in, as
which account for 29 percent of the if contemporary Liverpudlians have
population in London and 9 percent of anything to do with nineteenth-century
the total population. Recently the Tate racism. Making art more ‘relevant’ is
announced that it wants to raise its how big institutions such as the Tate
black and minority ethnic visitors’ now believe they can improve their
numbers from 3 percent to 5 percent. audience figures. But in 2003 a large
survey conducted by the Arts Council
What’s wrong with that? Surely revealed that the biggest factor
tolerance, diversity and access should discouraging attendance at art events
be celebrated and encouraged. But when among ethnic minorities was a lack of
those values are imposed from above, time and money. It’s a lack of wealth
as policy that reshapes the way art and leisure that prevents people from
is presented, they risk reinforcing a seeing art, not its lack of relevance.
sense of ethnic difference rather than
overcoming it, forcing art into the White artists and audiences are never
service of a bigger political agenda. patronised like this. Nor was it always
the case that ‘non-white’ artists
considered ethnicity a starting point
for their art: why should ethnicity
Diversity policy is more
determine whether I’m interested in
Ellen Gallagher or Hélio Oiticica?
about showing that ‘we’re
Walk round the fabulous Oiticica
retrospective at Tate Modern and you
not racist’, which is a
witness Modernism migrated and
translated from Europe to Latin
pretty minimal standard
America; ethnic particularism was the
last thing on Oiticica’s mind.
Like switching off the lights to
The divisive reality of today’s show that you’re ‘doing something’
‘diversity orthodoxy’ in art is most about global warming, diversity
apparent in the way the work of black policy is more about showing that
artists is represented, and in how ‘we’re not racist’, which is a pretty
public institutions now pander to the minimal standard. But in practice, it
idea of making art ‘relevant’. These reinforces some dangerous ideas – it
problems struck home on seeing Ellen sends out a message to black artists
Gallagher’s recent solo exhibition that the only thing the artworld is
at Tate Liverpool. Here in Britain interested in is their ethnicity, and
we’re in the midst of the bicentennial it encourages the idea that people
celebrations of the abolition of the should only interest themselves in
slave trade. Gallagher’s extraordinary culture that reflects their ‘identity’.
works on paper are as subtle a comment In other words, it makes people more
on metaphorical ‘whiteness’ and sensitive to their differences, and
‘blackness’ as you’re likely to find, roots their sense of self in some
her work continuing her interest in the bygone past rather than in the present
mythology of Drexciya (concocted by or future. And in that atmosphere, it
the 1990s Detroit techno band of the hinders artists and institutions from
same name, Drexciya is an Atlantis- thinking about how art can transform
like underwater world populated by the how people think of themselves.
genetic descendants of the African Diversity isn’t about where we came
slaves thrown overboard en route to from and who we were, but about where
the Americas). we’re going – and what we might become.
Artreview 44
Dispatches_columns_Sept.indd 4 9/8/07 09:55:07
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