Brooklyn Museum Reaction

Art is an important resource used by societies to express who they are, their history and their overall identity. Artists Sanford Biggers and Timothy Greenfield Sanders make a great example of how art can be used as a mean for expressing someone's cultural identity.

In the special exhibition "Sweet Funk - An Introspective" artist Sanford Biggers includes pieces of art that make strong statements regarding his African American identity. One piece that caught my attention a lot was "Lotus" which consisted of a huge glass with a printed image of a flower, which is formed by the repeated use of an image of a cargo ship used to transport slaves from Africa in the 18th century. This piece makes an important statement regarding the significance that history has to his culture. Needless to say slavery has defined in many ways the African American culture and this idea is well conveyed by the artist in this pieces of art. Another piece that made a great impression on me was the sculpture "Passage" which consisted of a bust of Martin Luther King that casts the shadow of the bust of Barack Obama. This piece represents two of the most influential personalities of the African American culture and expresses how African Americans have evolved through history.

In similar fashion artist Timothy Greenfield-Sanders explores the Latin American identity through his exhibition "The Latino List". The exhibition consists of a collection of portraits of important Latin American figures. For instance, the portrait of Mexican José Moreno Hernández, who is a former NASA astronaut. This collection is an expression of pride from a somewhat neglected culture.

Sanford Biggers

"Lotus"

2007

Sanford Biggers

"Passage"

2009

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

"Jose Moreno Hernandez"

2011