Art Belongs to the Marginalized
Artwork By: Vishwa Patel
What Does Diversity in Art Mean?
When people think of art, they often limit their imagination to the mainstream: visual art. At least, that’s been my experience. But art is so much more than that, it’s everywhere. From architecture to podcasts, clothing to graffiti, video games to photography, art lives and breathes in everything.
Art is a way of life. It is expression. It is culture.
Truthfully, I can’t see how the world would work without art as it is so integral to our daily lives. Yet, many dismiss it as something trivial.
In creative spaces, diversity inclusion should be a given.
Yet, I often see industry executives babble on about representation optics rather than actual inclusion. They have a quota to hit, and god forbid they highlight more than that. One BIPOC artist on the roster? Box checked. One cultural heritage exhibit every few years? Done.
Dare I say though, art has, will, and should belong to the marginalized. It’s something that cannot be taken away from anyone.
Let me explain what I mean by that.
With art, there is no right or wrong, but rather it is about connection.
It is the foundation of identity and resistance, as oftentimes artists have had to navigate a politically charged world and use their art as a tool to challenge dominant narratives in order to get their voice out. That is the commonality that unites all artists to be the same; they want their art to be seen, heard, and remembered.
Each artist has a story to tell, and historically, it was those in power that would silence that story in order to reframe and tell their own version. Western colonial powers have and continue to perpetuate eurocentric aesthetic standards to erase and silence the culture, the stories, of diasporic communities.
The Colonial Frame and Who Gets to Tell Stories
This is so apparent in Canada, where the function of Canadian institutions relies on settler colonial policies which have forced Indigenous communities to endure land dispossession, assimilation, intergenerational trauma, and more, arguably rendering these systems illegitimate. But that’s another conversation.
Mainstream institutions reflect that.
For decades, Indigenous people in media and art have been scarce. If represented, then they are typically characterized to be socially underdeveloped, naive, and welcoming of colonial assistance. If not that, then they are characterized to be primitive, violent, and posing as a threat. Either characterization is painted as such to depict them as incapable to self-govern, and as a consequence it is used to justify continued colonial intervention.
But despite these structures, Indigenous art has never disappeared. It has adapted, resisted, and reclaimed, allowing them to resist these perpetuated narratives and tell their story.
Decolonized Art as a Way to Heal
A 2022 study by Lesley Gittings and others, titled, “Every day I grew stronger and stronger being there: empowerment through land-and art-based Peer Leader retreats with Indigenous and Northern young people” demonstrated how Peer Leader Retreats premised on land-and-art-based approaches supported empowerment, confidence, leadership, and social-connectedness among Indigenous youth.
The study found that art-based approaches, such as cultural teachings through storytelling, ceremony, photography, beading, songs and drumming bolstered positive youth development and foster connection, dialogue, and trust.
In these spaces, art wasn’t just a product, it was a process.
A way to pass on knowledge. A way to speak back to trauma. A way to reclaim agency.
So, What Now?
To confront and disrupt the legacy of colonialism, diversity in art needs to be more than just some checkbox that has to be fulfilled.
They are not just buzzwords. They’re responsibilities.
And when it comes to art, institutions must be rooted in an understanding of history, resistance, and reimagination.
At Cosmos Creatives, we believe creative spaces need to not only be aware of its colonial past but to also be committed to a decolonial future where art is experienced through a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusivity.
xoxo,
Khushi Kumari
Sources:
Gittings, Lesley, Kalonde Malama, Carmen H. Logie, Candice L. Lys, Shira B. Taylor, Kayley Inuksuk Mackay, Amanda Kanbari, Samantha Parker, and Clara McNamee. 2022. “‘Every Day I Grew Stronger and Stronger Being There’.: Empowerment through Land-and Art-Based Peer Leader Retreats with Indigenous and Northern Young People.” International Journal of Circumpolar Health 81 (1): 2125489–2125489. https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2022.2125489.
