Social Justice Scholar in Residence: “Grotesque Bodies as Demands for Social Justice: Art of Late Apartheid and Post-Apartheid South Africa”, Featured Social Justice Speaker: Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Mid-Semester Residency, Union Institute & University – September 2015
Abstract: The grotesque body is the known body intertwined with the alien or the horrific. When confronted with the grotesque body, how one understands the world is challenged in that one is confronted with something so alien, so horrifying that it should not be; the grotesque body can challenge one’s sense of equilibrium and security in the world. The innate ambiguity of representations of grotesque bodies produces uncertainty, which encourages one to look to the larger setting and context for clues for how to interpret the figuration with which one is confronted. The context can, at times, provide meaning one seeks and thus allow for closure, but more often it can open up new questions and intensify the uncertainty, and possibly lead to stronger, more visceral reactions such as offence, horror, or even outrage. Such strong, visceral responses become opportunities to examine why representations of grotesque bodies affect one so deeply, and can lead to the examination of cultural assumptions and master narratives implicated in the figuration. I assert that spaces between overt meanings and covert assumptions of the grotesque figurations are where the visceral responses emerge and intertwine with conscious interpretations, providing fertile ground for deeper engagement with the sociocultural and political histories and contexts being addressed. Specifically, in this presentation, I will examine how grotesque figurations were utilized as an instrument for social justice by South African artists, both during apartheid rule and the transition to a post-apartheid democratic government.
Abstract: The grotesque body is the known body intertwined with the alien or the horrific. When confronted with the grotesque body, how one understands the world is challenged in that one is confronted with something so alien, so horrifying that it should not be; the grotesque body can challenge one’s sense of equilibrium and security in the world. The innate ambiguity of representations of grotesque bodies produces uncertainty, which encourages one to look to the larger setting and context for clues for how to interpret the figuration with which one is confronted. The context can, at times, provide meaning one seeks and thus allow for closure, but more often it can open up new questions and intensify the uncertainty, and possibly lead to stronger, more visceral reactions such as offence, horror, or even outrage. Such strong, visceral responses become opportunities to examine why representations of grotesque bodies affect one so deeply, and can lead to the examination of cultural assumptions and master narratives implicated in the figuration. I assert that spaces between overt meanings and covert assumptions of the grotesque figurations are where the visceral responses emerge and intertwine with conscious interpretations, providing fertile ground for deeper engagement with the sociocultural and political histories and contexts being addressed. Specifically, in this presentation, I will examine how grotesque figurations were utilized as an instrument for social justice by South African artists, both during apartheid rule and the transition to a post-apartheid democratic government.
