“When one says ‘Black art’ it more or less isolates the Black artist from the mainstream of American art. … [However] had this exhibition not been organized, many of the artists who are shown here would’ve never been seen.”
In 1976 on the “Today” show, David C. Driskell summed up how it often feels to exist while Black through the lens of the long-suppressed arts world.
Cut off from privileges in America because of your skin color, yet being challenged and often blocked or ignored when you decide to build your own. It’s a difficult reality many of us continue to struggle with in 2021.
The wonderfully-crafted HBO documentary “Black Art: In the Absence of Light” (available on HBO.com for a limited time) examines this dichotomy and how it remains immensely relevant today.
Driskell, an esteemed African-American artist, curator and historian, visited the classic American morning show with Tom Brokaw to eloquently discuss the culture and significance of Black art, as well as his milestone exhibition “Two Centuries of Black American Art.” In doing so, he used it as an opportunity to unravel a few misunderstandings and subsequently lay down the gauntlet for anyone looking to engage with, grow within or become a part of this burgeoning sector of our cultural institution.
Directed by Sam Pollard and produced by Daphne McWilliams, “Black Art: In the Absence of Light” uses this 1976 interview like a Kendrick Lamar interlude to set the tone and give us an overarching theme to the chronicles of Driskell’s groundbreaking exhibition. In doing so, the impact of that exact moment is effortlessly linked to some of the greatest Black artists we’ve ever known.
From Faith Ringgold, Richard Mayhew, Carrie Mae Weems and Romare Bearden to Kerry James Marshall, Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley, it’s amazing to learn how a single moment of unity 45 years ago, while not completely perfect, served as a launchpad for dozens, if not hundreds of Black artists’ careers.
The film is not limited to just being a reflective piece. It offers a broader perspective on how the future sustained support of Black art is crucial from a consumer standpoint. Mainly due to the fact that we have the power to control our history, our narrative, should we so choose.
“If you’re going to be an artist, you’ve got to love art well enough to buy it, to invest in it … so that you can pass that on to somebody else.”
David Driskell
The Black “art collector” hasn’t been discussed or widely known, yet learning about the Black-owned, Black art museums curated by individuals such as Clarence Otis and Swizz Beatz is inspiring. Even connecting dots to the cinematic arts, like Issa Rae and Ava DuVernay—Black art consumption is at an all-time high.
But the goal is stabilization. There has always been a cyclical nature to Black representation in the arts world. That’s why pieces like this are so monumental. It takes the time to weave a legacy together and preserve it—the good, bad and ugly. But these stories are important because these stories are us.
David Driskell planted a seed that has been blooming over the last 45 years, and Sam Pollard has canonized it properly—ensuring the history of our last 200+ years of Black art can remain organized and always available to be seen.
Watch Black Art: In the Absence of Light for free on hbo.com until March 17.
