Description

Kurt Nahar’s experiences in Jamaica during his studies at the Edna Manley College for the Visual and the Performing arts as well as his later visits to the island, but to the USA as well, instilled within him a heightened awareness about issues related to identity, equality and race relations. The – to him – surprising way that he was perceived, largely due to the color of his skin and the texture of his hair, and the large role that skin-color plays in Jamaican and other communities outside of his homeland, made quite an impact. Although issues of discrimination also exist in his own country to a certain degree, they are a much subtler undercurrent and tolerance and acceptance are generally the more prevalent qualities in Surinamese society. These issues are much more pronounced in Jamaica, and witnessing the degree to which a lighter brown skin color is valued and very dark skin is looked down upon amongst black people in Jamaica, was quite a revelation. The same applies to the texture of hair and many women own and wear straight-haired wigs. So, largely inspired by these observations in Jamaica, his works became an exploration into identity, particularly as it relates to the question of ‘feeling comfortable – or not – in one’s own skin, or hair…’.

Brownie 1 was part of the international exhibition entitled Inter|Sectionality:  diaspora art from the creole city which opened at the Corcoran in Washington DC, USA and subsequently travelled to the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture in Charlotte, North Carolina and finally to the Moore 200 in the Miami Design District.  Inter|Sectionality:  diaspora art from the creole city was conceived and co-curated by Rosie Gordon Wallace of DVCAI.

For a short documentary of the project:  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=186511352593672 

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