Kehinde Wiley, “Smile”
I really enjoyed this exhibition in the MOA. What struck me as creative was that the people participating in the video had to smile for as long as they could rather than anything else. People say that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile and this video shows the real strain a smile can have on a person emotionally, physically, and mentally. The meaning behind the piece was especially touching and creative. These men represent the institutional racism of minstrel wearing black face. This was a standard, showing that black people had to be happy go lucky all the time. With this video it shows the strain of being forces to smile all the time. The act of replacing a person when they can't hold the smile anymore is very symbolic for real life. If the person could not be happy all the time there was always a new person to take their place.
The author probably got this idea from his own experience of having to smile all the time and put on an act for society as a black man.
I hadn't thought about the replacement of the people when they can no longer hold their smile. I think it's true, though, that dropping that "good face" will often lead them to be less successful.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing regarding the sudden change of faces when one could no longer hold the smile. There are more books, blogs and websites centered on the idea of mental care surfacing. A recent TED talk from a psychologist indicated we place a lot of value on taking care of our physical bodies– this development has occurred only over the last century or so. He thought it strange that we spend more time in a week brushing our teeth than caring for our minds. I wonder if there is a connection between depression and anxiety with the fear of being replaced, either in a professional setting or in a relationship, romantic or otherwise.
ReplyDeleteBesides just showing black men smile and symbolizing the discomfort of smiling for a long period of time, I thought it was interesting that some rougher men were chosen for this project. For me it seemed a little out of character for these men and made me realize how I didn't really associate happiness with those rougher looking men. It revealed my own biases.
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