Although
Gus Van Sants’ Milk and Kara Walker’s Gone, a
Historical Romance of a Civil War as It Occurred Between the Dusky Thighs of
One Negress and Her Heart differ greatly in genre, these two works can
be linked though postmodern theory, in particular, in their construction of
identity. While both works depict very different identities and associated
issues of identity, they employ very similar visual language to communicate
these. The three visual constructs I will be focusing on throughout this essay
are: how the works draw attention to the notion of other; the
embracement of stereotypical coding in order to comment on associated
prejudice; and the use of eclecticism in order to reference eras of heightened
prejudice. By comparing and contrasting visual elements in relation to
postmodern theory the associated issues of identity intrinsic to these works
will become evident.
Walker’s Gone,
a Historical Romance of a Civil War as It Occurred Between the Dusky Thighs of
One Negress and Her Heart [Fig. 4] consists of black silhouette
cutouts adhered to the white walls of a gallery. The images are an eclectic mix
of historical silhouette portraiture of upper class Europeans, fairytale book
styling and stereotypical imagery of essentialised African Americans. They have
a subtle brutality and cruelty in their parody of the beloved antebellum south
novel Gone With the Wind (Cotter
2003). By employing these visual devices, Walker is exploiting the
pre-existing essentialist views of African American identity she expects and relies
on her audience member possessing. In doing so she jarringly brings the
audiences attention to unknown prejudice they subconsciously process. The
notion of other is crucial in constructing this narrative
between artwork and viewer. Walker is depicting these African American
silhouettes as a binary opposite against the white walls of the white dominated
gallery and art world. By extension, she positions her personal identity, an
African American women artist, as the other in the institutional art world.
This notion of other is crucial to the elements of institutional critique she
is addressing.
Within
the othering of her subject matter, Walker encourages a detachment between the
depicted identities and viewer. The silhouette imagery is another vehicle in
achieving this detachment. The characters are faceless, emotionless, almost
inhuman and absolutely foreign. Levinas’ theories of the other, centered on
this idea of foreignness.
‘The
Other remains infinitely transcended, infinitely foreign; his face in which his
epiphany is produced and which appeals to me breaks with the world that can be
common to us.’ (Levinas 1994, p. 194)
He suggests that there can be no common
ground between us and the othered identity, that we are binary opposites. This
theory is quite contrary to Derrida’s theories on the other.
‘The
other cannot be absolutely exterior to the same without ceasing to be other;…
consequently, the same is not totally absolutely closed in upon itself.’
(Derrida 1990, p.126)
He
advocates that it is the similarities we share with the other that allows us to
position them within that category. If we were to share no common ground to
speak of, we would be too detached from the subject to empathize on a human
level. Walker’s work seems to lean more in favour of Levinas’ thinking. Her
dehumanization of her characters makes it extremely difficult for an audience
member to find a connection to the imagery. The tremendous brutality
overpowers. In doing so she completely removes their personal identity and
reduces them to a mere state of blackness. While this is effective in her
achievement of othering, it is not the only way to achieve this. Gus Van Sants’
Milk achieves a sense of other in a way that appears to be akin to
Derrida’s thinking.
Van
Sants’s Milk is a biographical film that tells the story of
America’s first openly gay politician, Harvey Milk, focusing on his career
throughout the 1970s ending with his assassination. Composed of a mix of
historical footage and recreations the eclectic imagery is rich in visual
language. What is of particular interest is the fact that a heterosexual
director, using heterosexual actors, created this film. Given these facts, and
the films mainstream release, it is assumed that the homosexual characters in
this film take the position of other. Van Sants’ depiction of other comes from
a very different perspective then that of Walker. She associates her personal
identity directly with her artwork’s subject matter, unlike Van Sants, who’s
perspective is that of the outsider. However, Van Sants draws on the
commonality of same and other that Derrida addresses. He finds the humanity in
his characters and utilizes this to develop emotional connections between
subject and audience. Although his depiction of other is quite pronounced - his
use of heterosexual actors only drawing attention to the behavioral differences
of the associated identities - it is through this human connection that Van
Sants’ work begins to erode the preexisting prejudice he expects his audience
to process.
Both
works achieve their goal of drawing attention to the prejudice of there
audiences. One of the visual elements utilized in achieving this is
stereotypical coding. This use of stereotyping is very effective in achieving
an immediate recognition of the other and the group the subjected other
identities with. Stets and Burke addressed the relationship personal identity
theory shares with group identity theory.
‘In
group-based identities the uniformity of perception reveals itself in several
ways. These may be categorized along cognitive, attitudinal and behavioural
lines. Social stereotyping is primary among the cognitive
outcomes.’ (Stets & Burke 2000, p.226).
Van
Sants’ embracement of these uniform perceptions is very pronounced throughout
the film. In [Fig. 1] Van Sant has incorporated historical footage depicting
Castro Street locals. The filmmaker noted the group identity expressed through
attitude, behavior and in particular apparel. In recreating the 1970s Castro Street
ascetic, extensive research was done in order to meticulously recreate this
group identity.
‘Levi’s 501 jeans. Skin tight… That was the
uniform of the Castro clone… Given access to the archives of the San Francisco
GLBT Historical Society, Glicker and his team managed to get their hands on a
fair amount of Milk’s actual clothing… It’s more than just a brand of clothes
in this case, it’s an iconic part of America and the Castro.’ (Shaprio 2008)
This
act of recreation raises questions of the authenticity of the historical
account. Whist the stereotyped identity of the skin tight Levi wearing Castro Street
homosexual [Fig. 2] may have been the most prominent of the time it was not the
only individual identity present in the group identity. Van Sants has undergone
a process of selection and curation of the identities he chooses to
display. ‘Research is determined through the objects, which are analyzed,
and the perspective represented by the researcher’ (Schwab cited in Zierer 2011, p. 3). Being a
biographical film, issues of bias in perspective come into play. Giddens made
the following comment on the risk of bias perspectives in appropriative and
re-creative acts.
‘As
a result of processes of reappropriation… the individual has the possibility of
partial or full-blown reskilling in respect of specific decisions or contemplated
courses of action.’ (Giddens 1997, p. 137)
This
contemplated reskilling is also present in Walker’s work. Thoughout the 70s and
80s practitioners of an othered background had to fight for equality in the art
world. Many minority artists of the 90s entered the art arena in a state of
empowerment due to the efforts of the predecessors. As a result the majority
veered away from concepts that seemed too sweeping, believing them to be
simplified versions of group identity issues. Their work became categorized as
post-identity or post-black (Robertson & McDaniel 2010, p. 57). Walker’s
practice returned to the traditions of those earlier artists who battled issues
of multicultural identity. In utilizing stereotyped and racist imagery of
African Americans many earlier practitioners argued the fact that she was
creating art to appease the white dominated art world. As a result, older
artists, namely Betye Saar and Thorn Shaw, carried out boycotts of Walkers work
(O’Donovan 2008). Despite the criticism from her colleges Walker continues with
her signature silhouette stereotyped imagery. The exaggerated identities and
heightened violence and brutality act as a type of simulacrum, drawing
attention to these prejudices. In Baudrillard's words,
‘It
is always a question of proving the real through the imaginary, proving truth
through scandal.’ (Baudrillard 1999, p. 19)
Both
Walker and Van Sant use this imagined reality to provide truth in the real.
They employ eclecticism in order to construct a simulacrum of reality grounded
in historical accounts. When commenting on these eclectic historical reconstructions Jameson said the following.
‘Historical reconstruction… the
abstraction from the ‘blooming, buzzing confusion’ of immediacy, was always a
radical intervention in the promise of resistance to its blind fatalities.’
(Jameson 1998, p.35)
Walker employs this theory most prominently, as
her work is probably the most abstracted from reality. In her eclectic
references to the historical silhouette
portraiture of upper class Europeans and fairytale imagery
of an antebellum
south, Walker depicts the racist party and the vilified in the era of heighted
prejudice between the two group identities. In doing so she shifts focus away
from the present in order to draw attention to issues that our current society
has become blind to. It is assumed that racial prejudice in America has become
passé as many current practitioners have moved beyond this issue, but Walkers
work, and the attention it draws, proves this to be incorrect.
Van
Sants’ Milk uses eclecticism in a
very similar way all-be-it perhaps unintentionally. By referencing the 1970s
[Fig. 3] in it’s use of historical footage and recreations, it is drawing a
connection to an era when gay rights where in a heightened state of public
attention. This association, however, may have been carried out as a logistical
solution in making a bio pic. Nevertheless, this does not diminish the response
to this eclectic referencing. It differed greatly to Wakers work, as issues in
the GLBT community are still at large. The films coinciding release with the
vote on proclamation 8 is evidence of this (Lim 2008).
These works will always be tied to the
identities they depict. The group identities of African Americans and
homosexuals share a history of battling strong prejudice. Kara Walker and Gus
Van Stants have both responded to these prejudices in the creation of their
work. By exploring the ideas of postmodernist theorists such as Levinas, Derrida, Giddens,
Baudrillard and Jameson we are able to understand how these visual responses
fit into the postmodernist canon. Within their exploration of the notion of
other, stereotypical coding and eclecticism they are able to communicate a
depiction of group identities in a way that encourages the viewer to reevaluate
there views of the referenced identity.
Illustrations
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
References
Abbinnett, R 2003, Culture &
Identity: Critical Theories, SAGE Publications, London.
Baudrillard, J 1999, Simulacra and
Simulation, Glaser S (trans.) University of Michigan Press, Michigan.
Cotter, H 2003, ‘A Nightmare View of Antebellum Life That Sets Off
Sparks’, New York Times, vol. 36,
viewed 10 October 2012, via Griffith University Library database.
Derrida, J 1990, Of Spirit;
Heidegger and the Question, Bennington G (trans.) University of Chicago
Press, Chicago.
Giddens, A 1997, Modernity and
Self-Identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age, Polity Press,
Cambridge.
Jameson, F 1998, The Cultural Turn:
Selected Writings on the Postmodern, 1993-1998, Verso, London.
Levinas, I 1994, Totality and
Infinity: An Essay on Exteriority, Lingis A (trans.) Duquesne University
Press, Pittsburgh.
Lim, D 2008, ‘Harvey Would Have Opened It in October, Slate, vol. Nov, viewed 20 September
2012, via Griffith University Library database.
O’Donovan, L 2008, ‘Shock & Awe’, Commonweal,
vol. 135 no. 1 pp. 26-27, viewed 10 October 2012, via Griffith University
Library database.
Robertson, J & McDaniel, C 2010, Themes
of Contemporary Art, Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 37-71.
Stets, E & Burke, P 2000, ‘Identity Theory and Social Identity
Theory’, Social Psychology Quarterly,
vol. 63 no. 3, pp. 224-237, viewed 18 September 2012, via Griffith University
Library database.
Shaprio, E 2008, ‘Remaking the Castro Clone’, OUT, vol. Jan 12, viewed 20 September 2012, via Griffith University
Library database.
Zierer, K 2011, ‘Pedagogical Eclecticism’, The Journal of Educational Thought, vol. 45 no. 1 pp. 3-8, viewed
20 September 2012, via Griffith University Library database.
List of Illustrations
Fig. 1 Gus Van Sants Milk (2008) – Historical footage of
homosexual Castro Street
locals
Source: Sants, G 2008, Milk, digital video recording, Focus Features, Hollywood
California.
Fig. 2 Gus Van Sants Milk (2008) – Sean Penn as Harvey Milk and
Emile Hirsch
as Cleve Jones wearing Levi 501’s
Source: Sants, G 2008, Milk, digital video recording, Focus Features, Hollywood
California.
Fig. 3 Gus Van Sants Milk (2008) – Historical footage of the Gay Freedom Day parade in
1978
Source: Sants, G 2008, Milk, digital video recording, Focus Features, Hollywood
California.
Fig. 4 Kara Walker Gone, a Historical Romance of a Civil War as It Occurred Between
the Dusky Thighs of One Negress and Her Heart (1994)
Source: KARA WALKER's Art Installation at MoMA - "Gone: An Historical
Romance of a Civil War as it Occurred b'tween the Dusky Thighs of One Young
Negress and Her Heart", n.d., image, viewed 10 October 2012,
<http://nyclovesnyc.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/kara-walkers-art-installation-at-moma.html>.
Fig. 5 Kara Walker Gone, a Historical Romance of a Civil War as It Occurred Between
the Dusky Thighs of One Negress and Her Heart (1994) [detail]
Source: KARA WALKER's Art Installation at MoMA - "Gone: An Historical
Romance of a Civil War as it Occurred b'tween the Dusky Thighs of One Young
Negress and Her Heart", n.d., image, viewed 10 October 2012,
<http://nyclovesnyc.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/kara-walkers-art-installation-at-moma.html>.
Fig. 6 Kara Walker Gone, a Historical Romance of a Civil War as It Occurred Between
the Dusky Thighs of One Negress and Her Heart (1994) [detail]
Source: KARA WALKER's Art Installation at MoMA - "Gone: An Historical
Romance of a Civil War as it Occurred b'tween the Dusky Thighs of One Young
Negress and Her Heart", n.d., image, viewed 10 October 2012,
<http://nyclovesnyc.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/kara-walkers-art-installation-at-moma.html>.
Fig. 7 Kara Walker Gone, a Historical Romance of a Civil War as It Occurred Between
the Dusky Thighs of One Negress and Her Heart (1994) [detail]
Source: KARA WALKER's Art Installation at MoMA - "Gone: An Historical
Romance of a Civil War as it Occurred b'tween the Dusky Thighs of One Young
Negress and Her Heart", n.d., image, viewed 10 October 2012,
<http://nyclovesnyc.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/kara-walkers-art-installation-at-moma.html>.