Epitomizing Future Terror Inspired by Current Strife.

Epitomizing Future Terror Inspired by Current Strife.

Moroti George CA 319 

Critical Review Essay 

The Bathing Of Jim Crow In The Waters Of The West Sieed, 2019 , ink acrylic gel transfer, bulletproof ballistic grade Kevlar, plastic

Tucked away in the rapidly gentrified streets of the Soho New York, at the super chief gallery, exists Coby Kennedy latest exhibit “Jimmy Crow and the imaginary thug”. The exhibit completely dominates the gallery space, through the aura emitted from the pieces in the exhibit, I was forced to redress my   knowledge of African American history, which for the sake of my mental health I have kept tucked into the corner of my mind.

 QUEEN OF SPADES:ink acrylic gel transfer, bulletproof ballistic grade Kevlar, plastic

The exhibit had a cinematic ethereal quality to it. As I went through the page of the gallery’s website dedicated to the exhibit , I couldn’t help but feel like a time traveler who had come across an ancient temple that had been concealed from human eyes for ages. The exhibit “Jimmy crow and the imaginary thug” is part of a larger body of work by the multi-disciplinary artist entitled, “In the service of the Villain”. The overarching narrative that connects these two works is one that takes place in an Afrofuturistic landscape built from the mind of Kennedy, where Light skinned, and Dark-skinned African Americans are plunged into a chaotic civil war in a land known as the kingdom of Brooklyn. Kennedy’s Afrofuturistic vision and the way it manifests in his world building in this project and other works of his is slightly different from the typical paradigm that is connected to the genre  of Afrofuturism. 

The Coming Of The Thuggernaut [Illuminated Manuscript lost Page] gel medium on bulletproof ballistic grade Kevlar Thuggernaut skin

Although the working definition of Afrofuturism describes Afrofuturism as, a radical Black movement that situates class, gender and sexuality within the discussion of technology and creative world building. There seems to be this semi unspoken rule in the genre of  Afrofuturism to present Black futures in a utopian hopeful manner , as opposed to the dystopian and slightly violent manner that is present in much of Kennedy’s practice . Due to the shift from the status quo that exists in Kennedy’s exhibit, the working thesis of  this paper is one which asserts that “by portraying a dystopian Black future that is heavily rooted in the happenings of today, Kennedys is subtly critiquing the relatively naive and idealistic nature of typical works that exist under the genre of Afrofuturism.”

James Crow Knowing the Albino Negress, 2019ink, acrvlic, gel transfer, bulletproof ballistic grade Kevlar, plastic

Despite the fact this exhibit exists as a part of a larger archetype that directly confronts various issues in African American history, this particular exhibit addresses the perversion of the word thug, as a catchall term used to describe African American young men by privileged white Americans. In Kennedy’s universe , the  word thug is no longer  just a catch all term used to describe Black men, but a weaponized biological entity created from stolen Black fetuses and encased in a metal shell. This final product of this biological experiment is a terrifying creature that is about four stories tall, with six humungous brown arms, an oversized phallic member and one cycloptic eye. 

Damaged AltarPiece From The Church Of The Divine Thugg steel, gel medium on bulletproof ballistic grade Kevlar Thuggernaut skin

This thuggernut goes on to be a force of endless terror , violence destruction in the Black community , the cryptic intention of the thuggernut according to Kennedy is  to destroy the Black community from within. In response to the  violence and destruction embodied  in  the thuggernu ,  a golem like entity known as Jimmy Crow emerges. Jimmy Crow according to Kennedy’s universe is a physical manifestation of the pain and dread experienced by the Black diaspora in North America. Unlike the thuggernut which is an entity of self-genocide and unchecked destructive chaos, jimmy crow represents a force of reciprocity through destruction, and salvation from within.

Portrait Of James Crow As [S]He Appeared To Coby Kennedy 
On The Field Of Armageddon, 2019

The exhibit itself is a great testament to the multi-disciplinary and unconventional nature of Kennedys practice. Although, all of the items featured in the exhibit are connected in one way or another. The vastness of the mediums utilized in Kennedy’s practice, helped to not only boost the artistic aura of each of the pieces in the exhibit, but also added to the cinematic experience behind the exhibit as a whole. The exhibit notably features gel transfers on ballistic grade Kevlar as opposed to the traditional stretched canvases, the seamless integration of this bulletproof material in Kennedy’s practice speaks directly to the themes discord and security that are present in the exhibit. 

Borough Nationalist Mandala 1repurposed street signs, wood aluminum, official Brad Brains tour T-shirts

The exhibit features a number of sculptures made from repurposed metals, one of the significant sculptures in the exhibit , are weapons recovered from the fictional battle of Brooklyn. These weapons are machetes that have been carved out of street signs with the names of notable black leaders on them, this is in reference to the phenomenon in American history,  where various predominantly black neighborhoods would have  streets named after the iconic civil rights leaders Martin Luther King. The most intricate of these sculptures is a large scale exoskeleton of the thuggernut with intact organs hanging in the centre of the gallery, this piece in particular acts as a relic which helps to not only elevate the cinematic facets that are heavily present during the exhibit , but the works also helps to bring a realistic element  to the world building that has been done by the artist which would in turn help the viewer better understand the intent that fuels  the Kennedys  practice.

Partial Skin Of The Thuggernaut 2, 2020 steel, plastic, the souls of thugg-folk

Throughout this exhibit Kennedy pushes the boundaries of the artistic imagination, by creating a world and an archetype that mixes dystopian and unrealistic elements with familiar icons in popular culture and African American history. The theme of mythology is extremely present though out this work, in the artists talk that was organized as part of this exhibition, Kennedy noted that during his  time in Italy and throughout moments of his child hood he was very interested in the visual cultures of white empires which were largely inspired by myth and folklore  . It is no secret that African American diaspora has lost a lot of their original histories due to their enslavement by their white oppressors , it was this lack of history, mythology and overall lack  of ancestral  visual culture that prompted Kennedy to embark on this creative journey. 

The Divinity Of The Thuggernaut [Illuminated Manuscript lost Page] gel medium on bulletproof ballistic grade Kevlar Thuggernaut skin

Kennedy contents that because the history of empires are written by the victors, the oppressed would be fed an untrue narrative about themselves. These untrue narratives exist to not only cause further conflict amongst these oppressed groups,  but also leave them oblivious to  their past  history which  prevents  them from achieving freedom from the bondages of oppression. This line of thinking is explored thoroughly in this exhibit the thuggernut for example represent a what Kennedy believes white America sees when they see a young black man that they categorize as a thug. The thuggernut becoming a biological slur and weapon used to terrorize the Black community is a strong metaphor to the real-world violence and destruction that has   been caused by due to the crass way Black men are labelled as thugs and then pushed towards a life of delinquency due to the lack of investments in predominantly Black communities by the American government.

Auntie "J" Reads The Thuggernaut For Filth gel medium on bulletproof ballistic grade Kevlar Thuggernaut skin

In conclusion, in this exhibit and throughout Kennedy’s artistic practice as a whole, it is obvious that there is a meticulous need to explore African American history in the most though provoking and abstract manner possible. Although the violence portrayed in Kennedy’s work could rightfully be critiqued as falling into the trap of presenting Black trauma for a white mainstream audience to indulge in. It is very important to note that part of this exhibit was heavily inspired by how the mass media and popular culture represent African Americans and their stories.

In essence through this exhibit Kennedy is questioning how black history would be mythologized by future generations, if they only had contemporary mass media as their only source of historical knowledge. With that in mind I believe that Kennedy’s work is truly a groundbreaking addition to the already exciting genre of Afrofuturism, I do not believe as I stated earlier in my thesis statement, that Kennedy’s work is critiquing the utopian and overly optimistic nature of most Afrofuturistic works. He is instead offering a different interpretation of the Black future, a beautiful but violent one, where the agency of Black people is recognized, and their icons immortalized.