damali
ayo
Shift we are not yet done.
An
art experience
Mark Woolley Gallery
120 NW 9th Ave.
from:
Artweek november 2001
...damali
ayo's work strives to cut to the chase. shift: we are not yet
done is a response to those (usually white) people who claim
that racism is no longer a problem. At the opening reception,
"race-tags," printed with "Hello, my raced is…
in the bright blue of the American flag, were filled out by gallery
attendants with either "white," "black," or
"other" and affixed to the lapels of visitors. Intent
on "expos[ing] tensions within a system that ultimately forces
everyone into the strata of light and dark," ayo has constructed
prim but stylish shirt collars ringed with a fiber optic cord
reported to emit a slight charge during racist encounters-- for
those who aren't accustomed to recognizing it when they see it.
wanna taste (brown sugar #1) blows the whistle on the lyrics
of the popular Rolling Stone party song, while line-up,
a crisp white cotton quilt, pairs photo-transferred images of
female celebrities ayo is said to resemble (by virtue of her light
brown skin and "natural" hair alone) with Justice Department
experts on the problems of cross-racial identification. Surely,
when shift was conceived, ayo had not idea that the issue of racism
would so shortly and tragically take on renewed urgency. With
many reconsidering racial profiling as a prudent policy in the
wake of the September 11 attacks, it seems that far from being
"not yet done," we may be starting all over.
from:
ARTPAPERS jan/feb 2002
…damali ayo's …shift we
are not yet done, was a reminder that some battles may never
be completely won. Intent on "expos[ing] tensions within
a system that ultimately forces everyone into the strata of light
and dark" ayo orchestrated a performance for the opening
reception in which "race-tags," printed with "Hello
my race is…" were filled out by gallery attendants
with either "white," "black," or "other"
and affixed to the lapels of visitors. Among the variety of mixed
media pieces in the exhibit were prim but stylish shirt collars
ringed with a fiber optic cord reported to emit a slight charge
during racist encounters-- for those who aren't accustomed to
recognizing it when they see it,-- as well as blindfolds for those
whose preferences is to not see more thank they must. wanna
taste (brown sugar #1) blew the whistle on the lyrics of the
popular Rolling Stone party song-- though the Stones, in all fairness,
were themselves no strangers to irony and social critique. While
ayo succinctly made her point by fashioning a grid of custom-made
sugar packets printed with the alarmingly violent lyrics, she
diluted its impact with two other pieces, background music
(brown sugar #2) and comic strip (brown sugar #3).
As a whole ayo might do well to take a cue from…aesthetic
restraint, allowing her viewers, here and there at least, the
benefit of the doubt.
