Harlem on My Mind

5 8 »N k a Jo u r n a l o f C o n t e m p o r a r y Af r i c a n Ar t okwui enwezor T h r ee year s ago, d u r in g a br ief visit to Lo n d o n , I sat an d listen ed to a Brit ish cu r at or speak abou t pr epar at ion s for an exh ibit ion on th e "H a r l e m Re n ai ssan ce " th at w as b ein g plan n ed for a Lo n d o n open in g. List en in g to h er speak , I h ad a sen se o f som et h in g m ajor , an d o f h istorical an d in tellectual im por t an ce; w it h d azzlin g sch olar ly r er eadin gs, r econ t ext u alisat ion s; all of w h ich if accom p an ied b y r ediscover ed an d ob scu r e m at er ials will m ak e for an illum in at in g exh ibit ion on a crucial m o m en t o f 20th cen t u r y m oder n it y. Th r e e year s on , th e exh ibit ion in qu est ion "Rh ap so d i e s in Black: T h e Ar t o f th e H ar le m Re n ai ssan ce ", cu r at ed b y Rich ar d J. Pow ell an d D a v i d A. Bailey in collabor at ion w it h In stitute o f In t er n at ion al Visu al Ar t ( I N I V A ) op en ed at th e H a y w a r d Galler y an d h as m ad e st ops in San Fr an cisco an d th e Co r c o r an Galler y in W ash in gt on , D . C . Pow ell an d Bailey h ave tried to m ak e an exh ibit ion o f com pellin g h ist or ical n ar r at ive, on e th at is rich in sociological r even dicat ion of black h istoricity, especially on th e qu est ion of black m oder n it y, bu t quit e th in in a con vin cin g an alysis an d pr esen t at ion of its ar t istic ou t pu t an d ach ievem en t s. Aft er all, w h at is H ar le m Ren aissan ce if n ot a w a y o f in ven t in g an d celebr at in g an aspect o f m od er n it y t h r ou gh th e su bject ive en t er pr ise of critical pr act ice th at e n com p asse s visual art, m u sic an d lit er at ur e. T h e st r an gen ess o f w h at w as even t u ally sh ow n at th e H a y w a r d is th at a subject as fecun d (at least on e w ou ld seem to t h in k) as H ar le m Ren aissan ce cou ld b e st r ipped of its com plexit y b y t w o h igh ly r espect ed th in kers like Pow ell an d Bailey. Bot h cu r at or s in th eir past w o r k h ave b een con cer n ed w it h th e ser iou s an d in tellectual r am ificat ion s o f black m oder n it y, its...