Bright Bimpong : recent sculptures

              REVIEWS
As coiilcinporai-y AlVican artists conliiiue
to iiiake riglitful deinands on the
inleinational ait sceiie, a kiud of
prohlcinalic prograinining appears to
pervade the teniis ÜI' tlieir eiitranee into
exliibitioii spaces. lí seeiiis there are two
conditions tlial incessantly undeiAvrite
die teniis of tliis enti-ance and tliat of
discoiifse 011 conteiiiporai'v Afi'icaii
cultural |)i'o(lu(iion iii tlic iutei-iiatioiial
art scene. One deniand is tlial its
arliciilalion be lodged in a terrain tliat
imagines África as farce: as a hlack
coniedy. a pkiyground wliei'e the
iniagination of an exolicising project
comes nnnioored and runs aniok hke
wild horses. idie other inchnation. more
pervasive. at least in the last decade,
piishes a reci]3e thal imagines and
images África as the eternal land of
tragedy. a distanl. siih-normative
localion inca|)ai)le of piochicing art, a
localioii i)ei'eft of i-igoi-. originaiitv and
power. in otlier words. for conlemporarx
artists from tiie contincnl. iheie is a
prescribed narrative ihal hinges u|jon
tlieir ai't operaling wilhin a i)oun(kny
marked hy whal the ciitic and artist Oin
Oguii)e has analyzed as the "nai-i-ative of
crises. ' And when iheir art ti-ansccnds
and iransgresses ihis episleinologicai
category wliicii i)rings into connict tile
circuinscribed notioii of an "'anllientic'''
Africanity. it is siinply charged witli
niinhrry. wilh appearing Westejii yet
not beüig quite like the West. That
contempoi'arv cultin'al jiroduction Í3y
Africans iiiust cüiitiiiiiallv be mediated
and allowed passage bv a gaze tliat can
recognize it h\ invoking and j)rivil(íging
onlv those as]3ects of its exterior
lemporaHlN w hile deii\ ing ils deep
rooted intellectual and conceptual
inanifestation is the deeper problem of
aU 20th ceiitury cultural history.
Still, des|)ite its lack of solid ties to
anv functional instilutional striicture in
the West, coiiteni]iorarv Ab'ican art,
more iban anv othei' área of art
production. clearlv stands al a jimclure
wliicli severelv tests and b'iistrates the
conslilulion ol' ihe milleunial ¡nslidilion,
for tlie simple reason that it can no
longer be sinnmarilv dismissed or
ignored as a cliea|i reflection of the
bogus global contemporaneitv
represented by the work of white aitists.
The inanifestation of new exhibiliiig
opportuilities wherein the work of
Ab'ican artists has nol oiily lield ils own
grouiid bul has also challenged the
borders of its exclusión from serious
international art discourse. makes this
very clear. Of course. elhnograpliN. ihiit
bastai'd child of a pseudo-science ol
cultural dissectomv was. before this era
of "new opportunilies' llic maiii lool oí
critical practice. wilh respei'lto
contemporarv African arl. ilowever,
today. it is a biugeoning post-modern
industry that can ti'uly lay claim to the
new change in allilu(l<' in llie exliihiling
of work bv conlemporarv African artists.
It is posl-modernism's implicit
acknowledgment of mulliciillujalism
and •'dilTerence'', that has made a iew oi
the exhibitions we have seen so lar
possible. As a signifier oí greal impoi'l ¡ii
the discourse of alleritx'. "difference is
|3er(-ei\ed as thal ¡nstance of the most
visible Iransformalion of the
homogeneous into llie plural, the
indclerminale. llie comingenl. llie
shifling. Difíereuce read in ibis manner -
whicli Western |josl-mo(lcniisiii proposes
as more encompassinglv arliculative of
llie desirc íor imilliplicily ol
rcpresenlalion and significalion - is
obviou.sly nol wilhoiil ils burdens. l'or
exaniple, ••difference" as dehiied b\ ihe
West makes it possible lo draw and
justifv a biiiary line llial (li\ides aiid
isolates a liroad spectruin of cultural
C [ N I ( 0 AltUNTlCO Di ASlí MOOf Í NO
practices iii ••sepárale liiil (•(|iial" cllinic
calejjoi-ics. Oiil ofilii-, clIiiKimapliii'
(llslaiiciiig. cxliihiiioiis aic lliiis
produced. thal .seijucsfei- arlisis -wlio
ollici'wisc ininiil ruil he rclalcil ¡ii
praclicc OÍ- Iriiipci-aiiiciil- ¡ii lilllc
policcd Icirilor-ics uiidi'i- llic iiil)i'ic o(
sliared ancesli-y oi- race.
As we llave wlliiessefl. siicli race-
(leleriiiiiied cxliihiiioiis liaxc ni>l only
produced ihe disaslers aiidiences liave
l)ecn siibjecled lo dveí- I he pasl lew years
iii lile líame ol'c(>iiieiiip(ir¿ir\ Aíiicaii
arl. lliey al^o C(iiil¡iliu' In pei'peüíale
iileas ol Aliica iii a maniier \\lierel)\ ¡Is
assiiined iiic()iisc(|ueiice alinosl al\\a\s
precedes ¡Is liislorical iiieaiiiim. Tliis can
also he seeii in ihe kinds oí lioslililv
which conlenipoiaiN Ah'icaii arl
inan¿ifi('s lo laise williin llie liiuh walls oí
lile cridcal and ¡nslilnlional acadeniies
ol llie Wesl. or in llie \ c i \ palronizing
nioineins when il is consciipled lo
niediale cei'lain anxielies dial are clearK
ligitienls oí ihe occidenlal iinaginalion.
This illogical ha.sis íoi' prodncing
exliihilions (nnlhinkahle in llie Wesl)
hnill li'oin an apriori consliaiiil llial
seeks nol lo lainl (he niodernisl while
grid hy ei'ccling sanilized onlposls íor
ihe •'di(7fer/enl". Iiduhlingly niars llie
dialeclical naliire oí arl as a praclicc oí
h-eedoin. The eleclion oí •diííereiicc" as
¿111 iiiehiclalil(> register íor ihe inargin, is
lliiis a localily oí ihe W'eslern |)ÜS1-
inoderii desire íor a reílexive
grolesíineness (whal j-'i-ederic .lanicson
reíers lo as a "play oí siirhices lo da/zle
ihe doiiiinanl eye"): llie carni\ales(|iie;
llie kilscln . llie clieap cop\. all oí w hicli
are iinplicil in Vi eslern posl-inodernisiirs
adoplion oí ihe exclnded as
''exotic" and •dií/íer/enl. "'
Bill as llie ^i|nalls oí di.^conienl
lowards lliis praclicc oían apiiori
eleclion oí an irrele\anl niargin hardeii
iiilo disdain and resislancc íroiii arlisis
Briglil Bini|inng. /./»//. l')iH. líi.mze.
Pilólo: S|ieiHi'r Kieliarils. (idlleelioii Micliacl
BreiisoM. Coiiili'SN Siiilo OalIriN. NA .C.
wlio no loiiger w isli lo sec llie epochs
lliev represenl iiarraled oii llie
pcriphcrx. cnralors and insliiiilioiis lia\c
hcgnii lo inlerrogale llieir coinpiicilv in
conslriicling diese o\ i'rdiierniined
perceplioiis oí coiileniporar\ ciihinal
|iro(liiclioii íroiii Aírica. \\ liere ihis
¡nlerrogalion has resniled in a
ihougiil íiills plaiined exhiliilioii. some
inleresling resnlls liaxc occiirred. A
good exainple dial comes lo iiiind is (he
receñí dual exhihidoii oí IVederic l?riil\
Bonalire írom (he lvor\ (^oasl and
Alighiero e Boelli hoin lUiK al New
^Drk s. Dia (ienler íor (he Arls. This
hrillianl exhihilioii. dispensing w iih (he
ridiciiloiis Iropes ol (he ellmographic
projcci. niade inimaneiil in hariH|iie and
minimal íashion. ihal llie exolic "nther',
iimcli siliialed in Ariican represenlalion.
iiiighl in íacl. lie nio^llx residenl in (he
w ilds oí llie \\ eslern conlemporarv arl
indii.^lrx (han in llie Inrking glooiii oí
(ionrad M líciirl oj Diirknvss. BriiK
Bonahre s work. in concerl willi llie
snrroinidings in w hicli il was sliown.
poinlcdh rexcaled dial iiihlllniional
i|iiarrels widí work li\ Aírican arlisis ai'e
oía kiiid lluK is i'ooled nol ¡iis( in
preiiidice. hiil in a lorm ol aiixieU over
lile possihiliu oí conlacl eroding llie
iini'sled aiilhorilN oía •cciilre lo
nárrale I lie res( oí llie world.
In (he wake oí ihi-- siiccessíiil
pairing al Dia. Skolo Aghahowa. iising
liis cxhihilion space. Skolo (ialler\ in llie
Sol lo (lindicl oí New ^ iirk. inilialed a
similaiK congrneiil and MICCCSSÍIII
exliihilion which liroiii;lil logelher llie
sciilpliires oí Briglil Bimpong. a
Clumaian arlisi l i \ i i ig in New ^ ork and
rom Ollerness. an .American arlisi.
.•\s aiivone wlio is íamiliar willi
niodern arl kiiows. Aírica remains llie
inosi \isilile liiik ihrongh which
niodenhsm can lie ade(|iialel\
hisloricised and iheorized. I i i r cenhiries,
sciilpliire has remained (he íonndalion
lipón which .Aírica s greal arlislic geniíis
and maslcrx iiiade ils niosl íierce
pre^ence íell and experienced. As a
líriglil BiinpoMg.
Sitstainers. 1994.
Photo: Becket |j)gaii.
Tlic Sliidio MiisciMii iii
1 liirlciii; A]l¡-.ls ¡II
R,->i(lcH(c. 199:5-1994.
presciici- ¡11 ilic <iillural lr.\t tA' 2()lli
i'c'iilMiy ail. il Is iiiccssaiilK wrillcii aiid
i('-¡ii.scT¡lic(l 1)11 lile l)(){|\ di' a liisliirx
w'lncli sccks lo cliilc ils ¡iihlniiiii'iilal¡l\
as a H¡iiiiil¡i'(l cullMial (l\ iiaiiuc. IdikíN
Alrica (•(iiKinucs lo pi-odiicc oiilslaiiiliiiu"
sciilplois. \¡,sioiiai\ ailisls woikiiiu willl
lannuajic^ and íoiin.s ilial aic al once
formal, iinorlhodo.x aiid pcislslciillv
iiin()\ali\c. Arli.sis siicli as VA .\iialsui ol'
(diana. Oliiora .Xnidi ol Nigeria.
Moiisla|ilia Diiiie oT Senegal. and
raprnnia Cnlsa ol'Ziinliahwe liave
sliown sncli an imigoialing inelinalion
and laeilily willl \arions nialerials and
nielliods dial il lieeoines clear llial lliose
wlio see nolliini; linl puerile niiinesis of
lile \\ esl liy coiUeniiiorai'N .Vl'riean
arlisis are iiol oiily niislaken. Iiiil lia\'e
also aliiliealed llie responsihililx wliicli a
erilical and suslaiiied look hriniís lo llie
diseoiirse ol'arl. IroincalK. as Arrieaii
arlisis conlinne lo he cliaraelerized as
less innovalive ilian llie res! ol'llie
eonli'iiiporarv arl world. niany ai'e
ahandoninií llie slralegN ol'eoiileslin»
sncli cliai'ges ol' niiniesis iii faxor ol a
eoiiiKer discourse aiiiied al disriipling
enlrenched Weslern slriiclnres of
doiniíialioii. as wcll as radicalK
reíorinnlaliim' and siihvcrlinu" llieni.
Placiiiu slriimcnl eiiipliasÍM oii iiew and
inno\ali\(' iiiodes of ri'presenlalion.
w hile slill eonlesliiií; lile nieanings ol lile
posl-inodern eneoiniler helwceii
Iradilion and inodernily. llie (|iiesl ol'
iiian\ ol' lliese ailisls olilains less Iroiii
lile íaeile a\anl-gardisiii ol New ^ ork
seliool selí-eonscionsness. Iiiil in sinipK
appl\ ing rigorons inlelligenee lo llieir
nieaiis oí prodnelion.
Borii and raised in (¡liana. I3riglil
Hiinpong represenls lilis slrain oí arlisis
wlio no loiiger \ iew eoloiiialisni as a
eonslaiil sonree ol'Irauína. Binipoiig.
wlio reeeniK eonipleled a residenex in
lile liigliK coNcled arlisl-in-resideiice
nroiíraní al llie Slndio .\liiseinn in
Marlem. has emerged willi a visual
eloeiilion all liis owii. Tliat an arlisi such
as he. wliose work like lliose oí liis
(•onlemporaries nid'orlnnaleU has iiol
cirenlaled iniicli wilhiii llie larger arl
world. is ahle lo liil liis slride in so shoil
a lime, allesls lo llie signirieanl slrenglli
ol work lieing done l)\ ailisls wlio
conlinne lo opérale onlside wlial has
been designaled (he "mainslream "'.
Bimpong hasicalh works in Iwo
media: solí malerial (clav. Ierra-colla.)
and liard malerial (hronze. mild sieel.
ele.) oiil oí w liicli he íasiiions w hinisical
íigiires. ihal |iaidd\ modernisl purily ol
form as conlenl. .Insl as easiK his work
is silnaled onlside llie ambivaleiil
conle.xl oí lrend\ ViVslerii posl-inodernisl
pasliche and iheorelical
posinriiig llial is imredeemed. hei'aiise
iheir hernielic slriicliires elude nieaiiing
e\cii willl llie niosl ardnoiis andience.
Ilighly conscioiis oí lilis íacl. Binipong
has atleni|)led (o make his work more
A
T
L
A
N
T
I
C
A
181
accessible to his audieiice, without
pandering to tlie demand for the literal,
the obvious and exhausted one-liner.
which leaves the work of inany young
artists interesting-looking, yet bereft of
coiitent and energy. In an exhibition
statenienl, he niatter-of-factly states his
basic intent in the kind of work he does:
"perhaps my sculpture highlights the
grotesque side of life. It is reality,
unfortunately, what niankind refuses to
reckon with. I do not think it is avant-garde.
It is what is around us - nothing-reniole.'
In an age when many artists
either scream at you or else reniain
obsessively self-referential. this
statenient also helps to contextualize his
half-formed, bloated and decapitated
figures, which are meant less lo shock
onr jaded subinissiveness to violence.
than to challenge our preseiit cultural
obsolescence. a late-century nialady that
deforms reason.
What for instance do we niake of a
work like 'Odaa-Aya'' a headless and
linibless broiize torso with only a string
of beads fastened round its hips? It is
obvious that the figure is that of a
wornan, but do we attach to this work a
reading that situates its representation as
a critique of cultural or gender violence?
With the recent emphasis by inany
conteniporary artists on the body as a
site of political activity and as the most
accessible location of social
deconstruction, the proposition of this
sculpture, niade by a uiale artist becomes
quite fascinating. It seems so visibly
pla(-ed in the iiUerstices of two current
debates that always seein to coUapse the
cateeories of gender and racial violence.
Though one could argüe that thev end
up most of the time, not only prioritizing
but also privileging the grievances of
Euro-American women. For viewers.
however, Bimpong's work in the end
might not have anything to do with the
issues of politics of identity rampant in
much contemporary art today. But one
doubts very much that his torso is a
mere act of figuration gone awry.
However. we must also not view
Bimpong's work as being singularly
engaged in the existential excavation of
the fallen man. A sculpture like "Efo II.''
fashioned out of mild steel, attests to
this fact. This sculpture of a rotimd
male figure astride what appears to be a
mound of earth or perhaps a globe,
hands behind his back, with a
besmirked confidence on his face, facing
out into the world. shows Bimpong as an
artist not entirely without a sense of
hiunour, imbuing his subjects with a
great sense of grace and wit. As if not
entirelv convinced that viewers will
accept this facet of his practice, he
presents us with the ridiculous and
surreal image of another figure.
"Balance," (all works 1994) who futilely
balances several pots on lier nose.
Apart from niaking formal bronze
sculptures, Bimpong has introduced
installation as another dimensión to his
practice. His recent installation al The
Studio Museuní shows him operating at
a very charged pitch. Apart from the
smallish formal bronze busts shown in
the exhibition at the Studio, the
cognitive and psychological potential of
his work lies in the sprawling
installation of about 200 broken clay
pots that Bimpong says represent the
boisterous activity of the market place in
his native Ghana. Still, one does not
require a special insight to read pots as
vessels for storage and retainment. This,
one sees to be Bimpong's most resonant
metaphor. While the tragic appearance
of the broken shards gives one the
feeling of utilitarian dissolution and
stasis, the shards demand to be read as
fragments of memory. It is the sense of
memory that reveáis the ultimate layer
of meaning embedded in the shards -
the optimism invested in theni.
African potters. for generations
have used broken pots to make grog.
which when added to new pots
strengthens their resilience. New pots
not only portend the future. thev also
carrv powerfid niemories, albeit coded,
from the past. Hiey carrv signs of
rejuvenation rather than atrophy. This
hopefulness. ultimately. is what
Bimpong brings to his enterprise as an
artist; the idea that no niatter how
commodified. art still remains in the
words of the Sculptor Moustapha Dinie.
"a hmnan gift, not just something for
commerce." Which is precisely the most
meaningful way to engage the work of
Bright Bimpong: as a gift.
Okwui Enwezor is a Nigerian art-critio and
ciirator living in New York. Enwezor is also
the Editor and Publisher of NKA Journal of
Contemperan- African Art (New York).