I’ve never been a morning person. But, I love my job as CAA blogger, and it requires waking up REALLY early with a sense of humor along with a camera and pen in hand. I’ve come to embrace an early wake-up as a key to success. I didn’t eat breakfast before heading to the Chicago Hilton before my first session which was Contemporary Black Art and the Problem of Racial Fetishism.

Jillian Hernandez was the first presenter who addressed Racial Fetish as Racial Pleasure? Reading Race-Positive Counter Pornographies in Wangechi Mutu’s The Ark Collection. Mutu’s practice involves the collaging of the gorgeous and the grotesque, distorted beauty ideals and sexual fantasies.

This image was presented during a presentation by Jillian Hernandez

Mutu speaks about her work in an interview on her “You Call This Civilization” exhibition:

Either the super-traditional African woman with the big earrings or scarification…or this other woman which kind of is a pin-up, a very vile erotic sexualized pinup. These two objectifications are placed together and there’s this kind of dialogue going on between them … They’re very interesting to look at but ultimately I remove the most titillating parts. The central part of the shot is removed and what you have is this synergy between the two. And I think it’s a fantastic kind of harmony that happens and it makes people reflect on both things without replicating the objectification of either one of them.

Hernandez’s transdisciplinary scholarship synthesizes methods from anthropology, art history, and cultural studies, drawn from her experiences as a girls’ educator and curator of contemporary art. Her research investigates questions regarding processes of racialization, sexualities, embodiment, girlhood, and the politics of cultural production ranging from underground and mainstream hip hop to visual and performance art.

Objectification of black women’s bodies, what an intense morning discourse. My stomach loudly communicated that I needed to leave to go get some breakfast, but each presenter offered a rousing perspective that I didn’t want to miss. Tomorrow I think I’ll have breakfast before I get to the Hilton.