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October Issue 2004
MOJA Arts Festival Features Retrospective Exhibit At City Gallery At Waterfront Park in Charleston, SC
The 2004 MOJA Arts Festival presents Mapping Ports: Sullivan's Island, Goree Island, Portobelo, Havana and Seville: A Retrospective Exhibition of paintings, prints, drawings, collages and art installations by Arturo Lindsay at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in Charleston, SC. The exhibit is on view through Nov. 1, 2004.
Atlanta-based artist Arturo Lindsay was born in the port city of Colon on the Caribbean coast of Panama. His exhibit takes a look at a body of work that he has created in the last 14 years based on the research of port cities. The exhibition sheds light on a painful part of Charleston's history, specifically the role it played as a port city during the middle passage of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Lindsay uses his art to teach the viewer about the slave system in which men, women and children from West Africa were kidnapped and carried off to a life in bondage throughout the Americas - to Panama to Cuba to South Carolina. His eloquent images give a voice to the forgotten and names to those whose identity would have been erased forever.
As Lindsay traces the horrific journey of the middle passage, he illustrates the indomitable spirit of those who were uprooted from their land, separated from their loved ones and had their freedom ripped from them by the European and African royalty, clergy and merchants who participated in the trade of enslaved Africans. Throughout the various components of the show, Lindsay's work imparts to the viewer the courage of those who came through the passage, their strength in adapting to their strange new surroundings and their fierce retention of their traditions and heritage which in turn strongly influenced and blended in with the culture of South Carolina's Lowcountry.
"I operate on the premise that artists are the architects that can build bridges over the cultural divides that separate humankind. I also believe that art sits at a unique intersection in society and can assist us in the process of healing 'all of the isms that shackle us,'" Lindsay said.
The exhibition consists of selected paintings, prints, drawings, collages and art installations from the following series: Works in Progress -a series based on current research of Sullivan's Island and Charleston during the antebellum era, making visible the countless faces and "nameless" enslaved people who passed through Charleston or died in the "pest" houses on Sullivan's Island. Acuso (I Accuse) - a series of collages documentary in nature. The work is an outgrowth of research on trans-Atlantic slave trade and serves as an indictment against European royalty, clergy and businessmen for their participation in the trade. Sepulcros de Los Angeles (Sepulchers of the Angels) - a series of assemblages influenced by altars, chapels, public shrines and displays of devotional practices in Spain, Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States. Los ninos del traslado (Children of the Middle Passage) - a book of art and poetry in collaboration with poet Opal Moore.
Santuario de los ninos (Sanctuary for the Children) - a series of collaged paintings that provide a sanctuary space for the souls of children who were victimized during the middle passage, and also a vehicle to elevate their status from victims to that of angels. Guardian Angel - a series of paintings that reference ancestors and spirit beings that take human form in masquerade performances during carnival in Portobelo. Caja de animas (Spirit Boxes) - a series of functional boxes where objects of a beloved deceased one can be stored and kept among the living. Yoruba-Lucumi - a series that pays homage to the Yoruba religious traditions that survived enslavement and continues to grown in Cuba, the US, and other parts of America and Europe. Los reyes cimarrones (The Maroon Kings) - a series of installations dedicated to several of the kings of the maroon communities in Panama.
"In the unique context of the City Gallery at Waterfront Park with its sweeping panoramic view of the Charleston Harbor that looks directly out to the Atlantic Ocean, this deeply affecting story of the Middle Passage takes on additional irony and poignancy. The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs on behalf of the MOJA Festival is very proud to present this important project to our community as a centerpiece of this year's festival. It will hopefully stimulate dialogue, enlighten and educate our audiences and truly build bridges of understanding among all of those who come to see it," said Ellen Dressler Moryl, Director of the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs.
The City Gallery at Waterfront Park is owned by the City of Charleston and managed by the Office of Cultural Affairs. The exhibit is part of the MOJA Arts Festival, a ten-day celebration that highlights the far-reaching contributions to local, regional, national and world culture made by African-American and Caribbean artists, writers and performers.
For more information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Office of Cultural Affairs at 843/724-7305 or visit (www.mojafestival.com).
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