Research Project
The Meaning of a Building is Its Environment:
Architecture in Post-Colonial Cities (Current)
Research Project
The Benefit of Not Being:
The Ethnography of the Absent(Current)
Essay
Black Reflection, White Mirror
The Making of Black-self under The White-gaze (2023)Münster, Germany
One's self-concept is formed through a constant balancing between two opposing but essential needs. The first is the individual's desire for autonomy, which drives their pursuit of self-expression. The second is the individual's desire to belong to a society. However, these desires inevitably come together at a cost: every society has socio-cultural structures that aim to suppress individuals’ sense of self-expression in favor of conforming to societal norms. Thus, the individual is pulled in opposite directions, striving to achieve autonomy and conformity simultaneously. At first glance, these needs appear contradictory but are in fact complementary, as the full actualization of one necessitates the fulfillment of the other.
For instance, the individual develops a self-image to make their defining difference from society visible. Paradoxically, an individual's self-concept—the essence of their individuality—is social in nature, integrally linked with interpersonal dynamics (Fein & Spencer, 1997). Based on this, self-image is developed both with the influence of social environments and simultaneously against them. This delicate dynamic of self-identification with society while accentuating one's difference from it becomes particularly problematic when the individual is black within a white society. The distinctness that a black person has in contrast to white society complicates their sense of belonging and the process of distinguishing their autonomy.
This essay explores how African students currently residing in Germany reconstruct their self-image under these conditions. The research focuses specifically on a theory of self-conception mediated by gaze, analyzing how black selves respond to the gazes of white others to which they are subjected. This essay aims to make visible the kind of oppositional gaze that black people develop to thrive within an environment prejudiced against them.
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Essay
Institutionalization of Self-criticism:
A practice of reflexivity in the case of the Humboldt forum (2022)Berlin, Germany
Criticism is usually aimed at a clear object. For instance, institutional criticism was classically premised on institutions as the main object of criticism. In Marxism, where institutional criticism was properly formulated, traditional institutions were accused of creating and sustaining the structure of exploitation. Jacques Rancière believed that bourgeois ideological domination is a work of institutions against which he invites intellectuals to wage material-political combat (Rancière, 1974). However, following the crisis of representation in anthropology, the establishment of self-criticism in both academia and cultural institutions has made the object of criticism more elusive and obscured. The institutionalization of institutional-criticism by institutions as a self-criticism broke the definitive boundaries between what is within/without the institution: who is criticizing/being criticized. This in turn, besides weakening the efficacy of institutional criticism, is being used to mobilize the confession of past injustices to actively cover up the unfairness residing in the institutional-now.
This essay is written as a reflection of my research trip to the Humboldt forum. The paper argues that the current institutionalization of reflexivity as practiced by the Humboldt Forum and institutions of the like, functions more as performative ethics-washing rather than a practical significant commitment to induce structural change in representation.
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The Haptic Dimension in Tegene’s Paintings
By Yohannes Mulat Mekonnen
April, 2023
In the wide, bright studio filled with several big-size canvases laid against the walls, while at least four others are in progress facing towards him, Tegene Kunbi is deeply engrossed in his work. He moves back and forth between the paintings, adding a stroke in one, and rubbing a tube of paint in the other. Tegene doesn't focus solely on one canvas; rather, he simultaneously works on all the surrounding pieces, his attention shifting seamlessly between them.
Tegene’s paintings are characterized by the permanence of a strong, repetitive yet dynamic geometric framework, delineating registers of intense, thickly applied colors. Tegene's artistic processes involve layering thick coats of oil paint, acrylic, pastel, and often textiles. With precision, he employs palette knives, brushes, and his hands to create highly textured surfaces, each stroke adding depth and tactile complexity to his evolving works.
The haptic dimension in Tegene’s paintings emerges through the meticulous layering of oil paint, resulting in a textured canvas that not only captivates the viewer visually but also stimulates a tactile experience. While modernist views, such as those of Greenberg, emphasize painting's flatness as its defining feature, in order to distinguish painting from all other forms of art. this entails censoring and excluding elements beyond the visual or two dimensions, aiming for the purity of the medium.
Tegene challenges this notion by prioritizing a sensorial, haptic encounter with his work, viewing painting as a physical archive of the artist's hand senses and process. He regards his paintings as indexical translations of his physical presence and embodiment. Through his deliberate material treatment and composition, Tegene aims to evoke a deep connection between the viewer and the physicality of the artwork.
Repetition and Difference
By Yohannes Mulat Mekonnen
January, 2024
Walking through the exhibition hall at Primo Marella Gallery, the exhibition attendant is greeted by Tegene Kunbi's extensive collection of paintings adorning the walls. At first glance, the paintings appear deceivingly similar, the looker’s attention is constantly drawn to the repeated grid patterns that are prominent. Consisting of diagonally stretching grids that recur within each painting and across the entire display, this meticulously structured repetition is what gives Tegene's work its intriguing quality. How does this repetition manage to evoke a sense of novelty in nearly every painting?
For Tegene repetition is not only a prominent feature of his paintings, but it is also a working method that structures his studio experience. Tegene views repetition as crucial for arriving at new forms; he sees it as akin to research or rehearsal. Every day, as he steps into the studio, he takes the risk of starting work without a defined destination. This risk is inherent in the artist's life, requiring a kind of repetition that encompasses rehearsal and research to be productive.
Tegene also associates repetition with music; he insists that he can't work in his studio without it, seeing music as inherently constructed in repetition, unfolding gradually over time. This concept of time is intricately linked to how he structures his paintings. Tegene believes that an empty canvas represents an undefined void devoid of temporality. However, with the placement of the first brushstroke, the canvas transforms, suddenly defining its frame and introducing temporality. In essence, creating a painting for Tegene is akin to sculpting time itself.
Additionally, the cyclical patterns observed in nature, like the changing seasons, highlight a key concept: while these cycles repeat, they're never identical due to evolving circumstances. This notion parallels the idea that one can never step into the same river twice. It underscores Tegene's intention to utilize familiar elements in his paintings to explore fresh expressions of beauty and significance, akin to the dynamic nature of the human face, constructed from a few shared components.
By amalgamating these concepts, we gain a deeper understanding of how repetition is integral to the emergence of novelty in Tegene's artistic practice. Contrary to common perception, Tegene's paintings demonstrate that repetition serves as a fertile ground for new rather than a barrier. Repetition, far from inhibiting innovation, can be the catalyst for it.