Blackface in contemporary art

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Blackface in contemporary art covers issues from stage make-up used to make non-black performers appear black [1] (the traditional meaning of blackface), to non-black creators using black personas. [2] [3] Blackface is generally considered an anachronistically racist performance practice, [4] despite or because of which it has been widely used in contemporary art. Contemporary art in this context is understood as art produced from the second half of the 20th century until today. In recent years some black artists and artists of color have engaged in blackface as a form of deconstruction and critique. [5] [6]

Contents

Physical blackface

Conceptual blackface

Marcel Broodthaers, Le Probleme noir en Belgique (The Black Problem in Belgium), 1963-64 MarcelBroodthaers-The-black-problem-in-belgium.jpg
Marcel Broodthaers, Le Problème noir en Belgique (The Black Problem in Belgium), 1963-64

See also

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