UCLA Occasional Papers Series Title Crossing Boundaries: Gender Transmogrification of African Art History Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9c62v33t Author Nzegwu, Nkiru Publication Date 2000-05-01 eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Ata1997internationalsymposiumorganizedattheNationalMuseumofAfricanArtin conjunctionwiththeexhibition,ThePoeticsofLine:SevenNigerianArtists ,thewhite 1American curatorandretiredProfessorEmeritusofanthropology,SimonOttenberg, brieflyrecountedthe historyoftheexhibition.HedescribedhowProfessorRoySieber,thewhitedeputydirectorofthe National Museum of African Art, lured him from retirement with an offer of a Smithsonian Institution’sRegentfellowship.2 Onreceivin gthe1994fellowship,Ottenbergsurprisedthemuseum bychoosingashisprojecttheresearchandorganizationofanexhibitiononcontemporaryNigerian art. 3Thechoicewassurprisingsinceithadbeenassumedthathewouldmaximizehiswealthof professi onalexperienceinanthropology,focusonanareaofdisciplinarystrength,andpossibly, organizeanexhibitiononsomeaspectoftraditionalAfricanart.Afterextensivediscussionswiththe lateblackdirector,SylviaWilliams,hereceivedthemandatet ocurateanexhibitiononthemodern artoftheIgbos,agroupthatincludedtheAfikpopeople,whomhehadstudiedinthelate1960s. WhatOttenberghadgoingforhimintermsofdisciplinarystrengthwasthegeographicalandcultural contiguityoftheAf ikpoareatotheUniversityofNigeriainNsukka,thecenterofcontemporary artisticexperimentationsinuli .4 Attheemotivelevel,however,hiscredentialforpullingoffa successfulexhibitionwasthatheidentifiedwithIgbos,sawhimselfastheirch ampion,andforover twentyyearsafterhisAfikporesearch,hadstyledhimself,“thesoleinterpreterofAfikpoIgbo 1 Iamusing‘white’inapurelydescriptiveexplicitmodetoindicatethatOtten bergisnotAfricanAmerican. UnlikeinNigeria,Americannamesdonotsufficientlymarktheethnicityorraceoftheindividual;henceIamusing racialmarkerstohighlightaneverydayfactaboutAmericanpluralism,specificallythatitcomprisesofdiff erent races.FurthermorethisexplicituseofracialmarkersisaresponsetotheethnographicapproachofAmericancultural anthropologistswhomethodicallymarktheethnicityofAfricans.SincethelensIhaveusedinexamining Ottenberg’sactionandin studyingAmericancultureissomewhatethnographic,itisinescapablethattheobvious signsofsocialdistinctionintheUnitedStatesarehighlighted.Ifmyuseofracialmarkersseemscalculatedand divisive,itisunintentional. 2 Itisinteresting thatthisAfricanist“oldwhiteboy'snetwork”establishedattheformationoftheAfrican studiesdisciplineinwhiteuniversitiesisstillverymuchinoperationinthedisbursementofmajorfellowshipsand grantsontheresearch,presentationandpubli cationofAfricanstudiesandart.Furtherinformationaboutthe fellowshipisalsointheexh.cat.SimonOttenberg, NewTraditionsFromNigeria:SevenArtistsoftheNsukka Group (WashingtonD.C.:SmithsonianInstitutionPress,1997),xv. 3 Thiswas statedbythepresentdirectorofthemuseum,RoslynWalker,firstontheseconddayofthe symposiumwhentheissuewasraisedbythepaperofthepanels,andagaininherspeechattheformalopeningofthe exhibition. 4 Briefly,"uli"isasystemofd esignwithanextensiverepertoryofsymbols.Afullexplanationfollowson page5. Nzegwu 2 culture.”5 TheapprovalofOttenberg'sresearchprojectbytheNationalMuseumofAfricanArtis importantformanyreasons.ItraisestheissueofhowknowledgeaboutAfricaanditsartisproduced and disseminated in the United States. It impacts on the kind of exposure and historical representationthatcontemporaryAfricanartandculturereceiveinmajorinternationalvenues.It address estheissueofwhoisproducingthatknowledge,forwhom,andwhy.Thelatterraises questionsaboutthestandardofexcellenceutilizedinpresentingAfricanculturesandart.Inmore waysthanone,Ottenberg’sprojectprovidesacriticalbasisforexami ningthepoliticsoforganizing exhibitionsonAfricanartaswellasforassessingthelegitimacyoftheculturalbrokerageformula thatrequiresAfricaniststointerpretandmediateAfrica’sexperience.Inshort,ThePoeticsofLine allowsustosimultan eouslyreviewthequalityoftheknowledgeproducedonAfricanart,andto checktheflourishingofintellectualimperialisminAfricanStudies. Ottenberg’s emotive bond with Igbos notwithstanding, it is important to recognize the epistemological implicat ions of the underlying asymmetrical relations of power between the curator’sFirstWorldrealityoftheUnitedStatesandtheThirdWorldrealityoftheNigeriansubject matter. 6Well -meaningandadmirableasanempathicbondmaybe,itneedstobebornei nmindthat itdoesnotnecessarilyconstitutearigorousapproachtoknowledgeacquisitionandproduction.Ina geopoliticalrelationalcontextofinequality,empathymaybesymptomaticofpaternalismratherthan intellectualidentificationwiththesubje ctofinterest.Itmaybetheimaginativeprojectionofthe dominantgroup’sviewsandfeelingsontoasubordinategroup.Inthislatterguise,empathybecomes aneffectivemaskofalessthanrigorousscholarship,enablingarelationallydominantgrouporits memberstopatronizinglypassoffweakspeculationsandmis -descriptionsasadequatetheoretical work.Inordertobypassthisnegativeepistemiceffectofasymmetricalpowerrelations,whatis professionallycalledforinorganizinganexhibitionis: detailedknowledgeofthehistoryandculture 5 SeeSimonOttenberg,“ResponsebyOttenberg”in AfricanArtStudies:TheStateoftheDiscipline (Washington,D.C.:SmithsonianInstitution,1990),125 -136. 6 ByFir stWorld,Ihaveinmind,theUnitedStates,Canada,andnationsoftheEuropeanEconomicUnion.I alsomeantheprivilegedcitizensofthisrealm,whoaretypically,whiteandmale.ByThirdWorld,Imeanallthose nationsandthatarereferredtoasthe SouthandareseenbytheFirstWorldasoutsidethe"civilizedworld" -- Asia, Africa,MiddleEast,andCentralandSouthAmerica.Clearly,thecommunitiesinthesepoliticalgroupingsare neithersingularnorhomogeneousintype.Nevertheless,itispossib letotraceacoherenceofeconomicindices, ideologicalmind -set,andlifeexpectanciestojustifythe relevanceofthispolitico -economicFirstWorld/Third Worlddivisionasispresentlyconstituted. Crossing Boundaries:GenderTransmogrificationofAfricanArtHistory 3 ofanation’sart,criticalawarenessofcurrenttheoreticalissuesthataregermanetobothglobalart andlocalart,familiaritywithlocalartisticmovementsandtheirpoliticalconcerns,andaninformed ap preciationoftheaestheticsofspace. In beginning this essay with what appears to be a muted interrogation of Ottenberg’s expertise,theobjectiveisnottopointoutthatheretiredasananthropologistwithoutcuratingan exhibitionofcontemporaryar t,andwithoutengaginginpriortheoreticalworkinthisareaofart history.Ratheritistounderscorethatimperialismthrivesonrelationsofunequalpower,andthat evengiventhebestofintentions,reproducesculturalarroganceintheproductionofknowledgeof another’sreality.Specifically,whenknowledgeofasubordinatesocialrealityisproducedwithout consideringtheimpactofthepowerdifferentialbetweenaFirstWorldproducerandaThirdWorld subject, what sometimes results is an “Other ing” that allows producers to claim that cultural representationisneveranobjectivepresentationoffacts. 7Withaneyefirmlytrainedoncurbing academicimperialisminAfricanStudies,thequestionthatbegstobeaskedis:Whatjustificationis ther eforapprovingOttenberg’sproposaltoorganizeamajorexhibitionofcontemporaryNigerian art?Simplyput,howqualifiedishetoundertakethisventure? 8 Ananswertothesequestionswouldhelpuscometogripswiththesortsoflibertiesthatare tak enwhenproducingknowledgeaboutAfricaintheUnitedStates.Onesuchlibertythatisofprime considerationisthetreatmentofAfricaasafieldofresearchinwhichthecommonplacesofgood scholarshipmaysometimesbesuspended.Thisoccursfrequentl yintheFirstWorldwhencitizens receivemandatestoundertakemajorassignmentssuchascuratinganimportantexhibitionoftheart of a Third World nation without demonstrating prior expertise in the area, and without being subjectedtothesamestandardsofrequirementthatareappliedtocuratorsofEuropeanart.The 7 MaryH.Nooterdidthisina1994exhibitionshe curatedatTheMuseumforAfricanArt,NewYork,titled Secrecy:AfricanArtThatConcealsandReveals .Formoreextensivecommentsonhowculturalarroganceis reproducedevenwithsympathizersofAfrica,seeNkiruNzegwu,“ExhibitionReview,” AmericanAn thropologist vol.96,(1994):227 -229. 8 Thisquestionmayseemtobequibblingovernothing.Butitisraisedbecauseithelpstoforegroundthe importantissuesofcompetencethataregenerallyconsideredbeforeapprovinganyscholars’orcurators’pro jects. Thereasonfortryingtoensurethatthisbasicprotocolofintellectualworkwassatisfiedcomesfromthefactthat therewerenumerousarthistoriansatthetimethemandatewasissuedwhowerefarmoreknowledgeableabout contemporaryAfricanand Nigerianart,whohadundertakenextensiveresearchworkinthearea,andwhohad repeatedlyproposedcontemporaryartexhibitionstotheNationalMuseumofAfricanArt.Thepuzzlingquestionhas been:Whyweretheyignored?Whywasaretiredanthropologi stselectedoverthosemoreconversantwiththe issues?Whatisthebasisforselectingacuratorforthisshow? Nzegwu 4 inherentlackofsymmetryintheserequirementsrevealsthevastdisciplinarydifferencesinthe scholarshipofAfricanistsonAfricaandofEuropeanistsonEurope.Whileanthropologists aregiven freerangetodefineandcurateAfrica’sart,rarelywouldaretiredanthropologistorsociologistbe allowedtocurateamajorartexhibitionofaFirstWorldnation.Moreover,hardlywouldpermission begrantedshouldanyofthefollowingartm ovementsbesubstitutedfor“Nigerianart” —abstract expressionism,FrenchorGermanartinthe1980s,LosAngelesmuralart,orPopart.Sowhyare thingsdifferentinthefieldofAfricanarts?Evidently,thisdiscrepancyinstandardsbetweentheFirst Wo rldrealityandtheThirdWorldrealityderivesfromthesuspensionofgoodscholarlypracticesin one context but not in the other. It is noteworthy that this suspension is engineered from