Exhibition Review: Future Histories
Theaster Gates, Do you hear me calling? Mama Mamama or What Is Black Power?, 2018 (still); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Accessions Committee Fund purchase; © Theaster Gates; photo: courtesy of the artist and Regen Projects, Los Angeles
Written by Moksha Akil
Based in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, “Future Histories: Theaster Gates and Cauleen Smith,” curated by Tanya Zinbardo, is a beautiful collaboration of socially aware archival work and amicable collaboration. The work of Gates and Smith is brought into the present from 2018 and reimagines Black history and culture.
Gates’ Do You Hear Me Calling? is a beautiful representation of the power of Black people, specifically women. He explores the idea of the Black Madonna by using three decades of images from the Johnson Publishing Company archives, including Ebony and Jet magazines. However, specifically in the stills given to the magazine, Gates captures the culture while seemingly capturing pain. The term Black Madonna has its origins in Byzantine culture and refers to statues or paintings in Western Christianity of the Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus, when both figures are depicted as Black. These paintings are from the Middle East and Africa, mainly Egypt and Ethiopia. Most importantly, the Black Madonna takes a typically white portrayal of the Virgin Mary and turns it into a depiction of a loving Black mother.
In these stills, the viewer can truly see the passion of the subject. We know that she has a story to tell in some way as she looks up and closes her eyes. Gates also showcases religious choruses and vocalists, again alluding to the religious aspect of the Black Madonna.
Cauleen Smith, Sojourner, 2018 (still); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Accessions Committee Fund purchase; © Cauleen Smith; photo: courtesy the artist, Corbett vs. Dempsey, Chicago, and Kate Werble Gallery, New York
The second part of “Future Histories” is a film by Smith entitled, Sojourner, that explores the concept of Black femininity as well. Black femininity is the theme that ties these two films together, and they both tackle the concept extremely well. In “Sojourner,” Smith drew inspiration from a photo she saw previously of Black men talking to each other and found inspiration in the composition of the photo. She mimicked the composition in a photo of her film and perfectly captured the power of Black women. The bright colors of the still perfectly represent power and vibrancy within Black femininity. With the outfit choices, Smith decided to give Black women back their power. As they look up at the sky, they see their paths—their future.
Cauleen Smith, Sojourner, 2018 (still); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Accessions Committee Fund purchase; © Cauleen Smith; photo: courtesy the artist, Corbett vs. Dempsey, Chicago, and Kate Werble Gallery, New York
Smith’s film showcases Black women displaying orange safety banners with the ending of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda’s memoir Monument Eternal (1977). In this still, one of the banners says “be at the hand of might,” with the woman next to it in some sort of power pose on top of a rock at the beach. It is this and Smith’s turn to vintage radio that displays Smith’s ability to be an activist while still being an artist. These two roles are often interlocked and Smith’s film shows this while still being much different from other forms of activism in art.
Smith’s vision to center Black women and portray them as pioneers combines incredibly well with Gates’ vision to showcase Black madonnas. By using archival work and photographs, both artists portray femininity in artistry. They both hand back the power to Black activists and artists while representing their culture as well. “Future Histories” is titled perfectly: it exhibits the past while showing what the future will be.
