Artists That are Speaking Out Against Racism in 2021

The events of the past couple of years have made it clear that the world needs to abolish racism once and for all. We need to address it in the way we speak and the actions we take.

Many artists are doing their part making a stand that comes through in the work they create and the actions they are taking. This article will look at some of the individuals that are doing their part.

Art World Activists Against Anti-Asian Abuse

The movement against Asian racial injustice has been gaining momentum due to the hate crime that took place on March 18 when eight people including six Asian American women, were killed in Atlanta, GA. This is coupled with an ongoing hyper-sexualization of Asian women in America.

President Trump’s characterization of COVID 19 as the ‘China virus’ has further fanned the fire and racial attacks against the Asian community have been on the rise since the pandemic started.

The Stop DiscriminAsian group is a coalition of 17 arts professionals that are taking a stand. Artists Anicka Yi and Kenneth Tam are among its members. The organization has been promoting a statement condemning the attacks and Asian racism in general. At last report, the statement has garnered over 800 signatures.

The group is not alone. The Asian and Diaspora Art Commune which consists of eight Chinese American and European artists, historians, and curators have also been taking action. They are responsible for writing a letter to ArtForum magazine for its limited coverage of Asian artists and the Stop Asian Hate movement.

Their letter has gained the support of close to 700 signatories. The forum did not comment on the letter but ran an article on the ADAC last month.

Santiago Sierra’s Union Flag

Santiago Sierra is a Spanish artist whose work focuses on social inequalities. In 2003, blocked off the entrance to the Spanish Pavilion at Venice Biennale letting only Spanish citizens inside. His other works have raised awareness of the negative effects of capitalist exploitation.

Now he is taking a stand for the indigenous people of Australia who have suffered due to British colonialism with his work Union Flag.

Union Flag recalls the Black War that occurred in the early 19th century between the British settlers and the Tasmanian Aboriginal people. Fighting stemmed from the British commandeering land the Aboriginals used for hunting and agriculture. The battle led to the death of up to 900 Aboriginal people and has been called genocide.

Sierra has asked First Nations people who live in Australia but come from countries colonized by the British Empire at some point in the past to donate a small amount of blood. The blood will be combined in an aluminum bucket in equal amounts and the British flag will then be immersed in the blood.

The exhibit is meant to acknowledge the devastating effect of colonialism on the lives of First Nation people. It will be displayed at the Dark Mofo music and art festival which will open in Hobart, Tasmania in June.

Powerful Anti-Racist Exhibits in 2021

Art enthusiasts who wish to explore racial issues through art have a lot to look forward to this year. Here are a few exhibits taking place in America that are worth checking out.

The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture and the Sonic Impulse at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts May 22- Sept. 6, 2021

This exhibit will explore the relationship between music and art spanning from jazz in the 1920s through to the modern age of hip hop while considering how landscape and religion play out in the black community. Curated by Valerie Cassell Oliver, it will combine visual, audio, and multi-media elements. It features often marginalized artists such as Sister Gertrude Morgan, Kara Walker, Thornton Dial, Allison Janae Hamilton, and Arthur Jafa.

Afro-Atlantic Histories at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 2021

First shown in Brazil in 2018, this exhibition is making its way to the United States and will be debuting at the Museum of Fine Art in Houston. It will explore the connections of Africans located across the world throughout time spans that range from the 16th to 21st centuries. It originally included 450 works created by 214 artists representing Africa, North, South, and Central America, Europe, and the Caribbean. The show will also be traveling to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Deanna Lawson at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, Mass October 27, 2021 — March 6, 2022

Deanna Lawson is the first photographer to win the highly prestigious Hugo Boss Prize (2020). The ICA Boston exhibition will mark her first U.S. museum survey. Her work reflects everyday life in a staged and stylized format with a rare perspective of black identity. The exhibit will also be traveling to MoMA PS1 and a fully illustrated catalog of the featured work is forthcoming.

Conclusion

Racism is a political and social issue, but it is also a deeply emotional one. As such, many artists are taking the resources they have available to raise awareness and combat the divides that are plaguing society. Some are creating while others are organizing and penning letters and petitions that make a strong statement.

Racial tensions are not easy to address, but when artists use their creativity to break down barriers, it sends a powerful message. It is hopeful that the messages they are sending become ingrained in society to make the world a more accepting place to live in.