Experimental Art and the Swedish cake stunt

Experimental Art

The 'cake stunt' was a part of a world art exhibit in Sweden. The artist created the installation to bring awareness to female genital mutilation. He painted his skin black, and wore a dreadlock wig, with large white teeth painted around his mouth, and a choker around his neck. His head stuck out from the table, and on top of the table was a cake in the shape of a female body with black fondant. Visitors to the exhibit were supposed to slice the cake, and the artist would scream. The cake was red inside.

 The artist of the cake stunt in Sweden is Black. It turns out he has been working with stereotypical images of Black people- particularly the Sambo character, and the Mammy (or gollywog-I've never used that term!). His latest work, is a riff of the ‘Hottentot Venus’ a young Black woman who was exploited as a freak and put on display naked. She traveled around Europe as a part of different circuses and freak shows. Her anatomy was what made her such a wonder to Europeans- particularly men. Europeans were obsessed by her shapely figure and to this day her sexual organs are still preserved for scientific study in Paris.

Wow. Yeah.

Makode Linde has been working with this image for a long time, it is central to his work as an artist. I don’t hate Mr.Linde; many experimental Black artists who have been shunned by the Black establishment have been some of the most directional thinkers. Kara Walker, Whoopi Goldberg, Bill T. Jones, Suzan Lori-Parks, even Spike Lee- were at one time or another accused of being a 'bad influence' to mainstream Black Americans.

IThe performance of human rights is an actual genre of theatrical performance. However, the authentic voices of survivors or witnesses are embedded in the narrative. That way, the center of the work comes from the humanity of the people it represents. Hence the term, performance of human rights. If the survivors' voices are not in the narrative, then it's not a performance of human rights- it's just the artists' opinion and personal agenda.

I don’t care for this art installation- just not my thing. The cause is really important- but the video proves that for the people in that room, it was all a joke. I don’t fault the artist for taking on this cause, it needs more awareness. I don’t know if he foresaw this happening, or planned to be in the position he is in-but it is another reminder that we are always on camera.

Muslim women are in many ways 'invisible', and the world is missing out on hearing their voices. I've read a lot of fiction- (I know fiction! but I love reading fiction) and let me tell you, African women, Indian women, Muslim women are perfectly capable of speaking for themselves and telling their own stories!

Yet to the general public, they are literally 'hidden behind a veil'. Everyone speaks for them- (Muslim men, Christians, American women) yet their perspective on their own experience is often overlooked. If people aren’t outraged by this incident, it victimizes young girls all over again.

Ponya

PSSweden, the culture that brought Ikea furniture and the Dragon Tattoo series, is pretty mental once you pull back the curtain. As I said, I'm an actress so I've read a lot of dramatic literature! I've been reading Nordic plays since high school! I realized that I know this society inside and out!  Ms. Julie, Hedda Gabbler, A Doll's House (to name a few by Ibsen and Strindberg) are fascinating plays that explore characters whose lives are wracked with psychological turmoil for a number of reasons, but mostly the nature of Swedish society.

Read more incidents of racism in Sweden, by Jallow Momodou

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/apr/18/racism-becoming-the-norm-sweden?INTCMP=SRCH