Quentin VerCetty - Afrofuturism as an Arts Movement: Black Fantasy, Science & Speculative Fiction in Visual Arts from 2009 - 2019
Curated by Hanss Lujan Torres & Renata Critton-Papp for the Ethnocultural Art History Research Group
October 10 – November 29, 2020
Vernissage: October 17, 2020
This exhibition features the 2019 EAHR Concordia Library Researcher and Artist-in-Residence, Quentin VerCetty Lindsay.
Drawing parallels between Afrofuturism and Afro-Caribbean carnival, this research is presented in a multimedia format to explore how both practices are about the celebration of culture, history, resilience, and continuity. Among different West African cultural traditions, the masquerader dresses in costume, plays, and dances as a conduit of ancestral spirits conjured to share a message for the future. The exhibition features individuals who have made significant contributions within the artistic movement of Afrofuturism in Canada and globally. They are depicted as frontline masqueraders whose elaborate headdresses and face paint cross-reference the Afro-Caribbean carnival masquerader (who celebrates history and the future) and the continental African masqueraders (whose role is to share a message about tomorrow with today's generation).
The images complement digital sculptures that allegorically represent the different fields of artistic research for which each person is known. These categories include curation, visual arts and installation, photography and film, literature, and performance arts. The statues are conceptual tributes that celebrate individuals for their work, and what they have contributed to Afrofuturism as an art movement. Each statue has a ceremonial African masquerader mask that corresponds to one of these categories.
For more information on EAHR’s Library Research Residency and Quentin’s research project on Afrofuturism please visit the Concordia Library Website at: https://www.concordia.ca/library/guides/art-history.html#4.
Quentin VerCetty is an award-winning multidisciplinary visual griot (storyteller) and arts educator who is currently working on his MA in Art Education at Concordia University with a focus on teaching Afrofuturism to underserved communities. Lindsay's art has been featured in numerous media outlets and publications in various countries including Japan, Haiti, Peru, Ghana, Australia, United Arab Emirates, and France.
Contact: Hanss Lujan Torres (hansslujan@gmail.com), Alice Jim (alice.jim@concordia,ca), Quentin VerCetty (quentinlnetwork@gmail.com)
