A kaleidoscopic survey of black satire in 20th- and 21st-century American art
In this groundbreaking study, Richard J. Powell investigates the visual forms of satire produced by black artists in 20th- and 21st-century America. Underscoring the historical use of visual satire as antiracist dissent and introspective critique, Powell argues that it has a distinctly African American lineage. Taking on some of the most controversial works of the past century—in all their complexity, humor, and provocation—Powell raises important questions about the social power of art.
Expansive in both historical reach and breadth of media presented, Going There interweaves discussions of such works as the midcentury cartoons of Ollie Harrington, the installations of Kara Walker, the paintings of Robert Colescott, and the movies of Spike Lee. Other artists featured in the book include David Hammons, Arthur Jafa, Beverly McIver, Howardena Pindell, Betye Saar, and Carrie Mae Weems. Thoroughly researched and rich in context, Going There is essential reading in the history of satire, racial politics, and contemporary art.
Published in association with the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research
A kaleidoscopic survey of black satire in 20th- and 21st-century American art
In this groundbreaking study, Richard J. Powell investigates the visual forms of satire produced by black artists in 20th- and 21st-century America. Underscoring the historical use of visual satire as antiracist dissent and introspective critique, Powell argues that it has a distinctly African American lineage. Taking on some of the most controversial works of the past century—in all their complexity, humor, and provocation—Powell raises important questions about the social power of art.
Expansive in both historical reach and breadth of media presented, Going There interweaves discussions of such works as the midcentury cartoons of Ollie Harrington, the installations of Kara Walker, the paintings of Robert Colescott, and the movies of Spike Lee. Other artists featured in the book include David Hammons, Arthur Jafa, Beverly McIver, Howardena Pindell, Betye Saar, and Carrie Mae Weems. Thoroughly researched and rich in context, Going There is essential reading in the history of satire, racial politics, and contemporary art.
Published in association with the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research
Richard J. Powell is John Spencer Bassett Professor of Art and Art History at Duke University.
“Wide-ranging and painstakingly researched, Going There situates
Black visual satire in historical, political, and discursive
contexts that tease out the nuances of the form.”—crystal am
nelson, caa.reviews
“An amazing book that dares to ‘go there,’ plunging into the depths
of black visual satire, an abyss where monsters and minstrels revel
in the madness of racism. Richard Powell’s deeply learned and
brilliantly written text dances alertly through the minefield of
stereotype and caricature to reveal the critical power of
satire.”—W. J. T. Mitchell, author of Seeing Through
Race and Mental Traveler: A Father, a Son, and a Journey
through Schizophrenia
“Going There is a groundbreaking study of African-American visual
satire. Powell presents a comprehensive, rigorous, and
well-researched investigation into this thorny arena, illuminating
some of the most controversial artworks of the twentieth and
twenty-first centuries.”—Derek Conrad Murray, author of Queering
Post-Black Art: Artists Transforming African-American Identity
After Civil Rights
“With a steady hand, Powell grounds the tradition of black visual
satire in its historical, political, and discursive context. But he
doesn’t drain the images of their risk. Powell honors the
intelligence and audacity of the works and their creators and, most
importantly, gives black satire its full historical, aesthetic, and
political due.”—Mike Sell, author of The Avant-Garde: Race,
Religion, War
“Satire and the black condition. An endless quagmire of slippery
slopes, and inverted dialogues. Richard Powell skillfully dissects
the social dynamics of humor in the black context demonstrating how
we are perpetrators, and those perpetrated upon. It is a must read
for all Americans willing to implicate themselves. No one will
escape.”—Lowery Stokes Sims, co-editor, Race and Art Matters: The
Career of Robert Colescott
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