FAQ
Exploring Popular Culture in the Caribbean Through Music
Art handlers installing Miguel Luciano’s Platano Pride and Miguel Luciano himself.
Over the past few months of teaching university students in Infinite Island, I have found that students instantly respond to works of art that incorporate ideas and images referencing popular culture. Pieces in the show such as the one by Miguel Luciano, Platano Pride, start conversation before I even have a chance to ask any questions because the students understand immediately the visual language with which the artists are working. This Saturday, November 17, at 2 p.m. we will host the third panel discussion in the Infinite Island discussion series which will focus on the role that music and popular culture play in contemporary Caribbean art and culture. I look forward to hearing more from the panelists about how popular culture and music can serve as sites for creativity and resistance in the Caribbean and Caribbean Diaspora communities. I know that the insights they share will enhance my teaching and the discussions I will have in the galleries with my students.
Panelists include Sujatha Fernandes, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Queens College, City University of New York and author of Cuba Represent! Cuban Arts, State Power, and the Making of New Revolutionary Cultures; Raquel Z. Rivera, Research Fellow at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College, and co-editor of an forthcoming anthology Reading Reggaeton: Historical, Aesthetic and Critical Perspectives; and Infinite Island artist Miguel Luciano. The discussion will be moderated by Infinite Island curator Tumelo Mosaka.
If you join us we would love to know what you think!
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Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum
November 14th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
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November 23rd, 2007 at 7:59 pm
I am really curious to know in more detail what was discussed in the 3rd panel discussion concerning popular culture and music. I know that Dancehall music has been under attack for its misogynist, homophobic, and violent lyrics. Other concerns circulate around dancehall culture raising questions about its susceptibility to global consumer markets as artists are hailed or reviled for their ability to not “sell out”. In looking towards music as a model that has re-tooled its vernacular to reach a larger audience, I wonder if the same risks that surround Dancehall culture might threaten visual representations that also attempt to broaden their influence? Do the walls of the museum protect art or isolate it? Likewise, if musical artists like Bounty Killer insist that his “nine” (gun) are necessary to garner attention, what might be necessary to garner attention of visual representations? Isn’t it possible that art might serve as a better model for music, than music for art? Or are the two mediums different enough that they can’t be fruitfully compared? What role has technology, such as the ability to make a comment like this electronically, played in making art more accessible?
November 27th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
These are really interesting questions and I think very vital ones to raise. The speakers did not focus as much on Dancehall as they did forms like Reggae, Reggaeton and Hip Hop, especially as they function in the Spanish speaking Caribbean (as this was the speakers area of expertise). The panelists especially touched on similar questions around availability and “selling out” as related to these musical forms. We’re hoping to have a podcast up in a few weeks, so please check back soon!
December 26th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Hi Sydney,
This podcast has just been posted and can be found here.