How identities and the politics of visibility impact the physical and conscious state.
by Daniella Weiss (COM ’19)
Occupancies, an exhibition exploring how individual and collective bodies create, negotiate, and inhabit space, runs through March 26 at the Boston University Art Galleries (BUAG), headed by Artistic Director Lynne Cooney and Managing Director Josh Buckno. The group show, curated by Cooney herself, features the work of over 20 artists responding to the current cultural and political climate. In addition to special programming, the exhibition is hosting “Resident Occupants” including Intelligent Mischief (Terry Marshall and Aisha Shillingford), Nabeela Vega, and eBAY.
What does the term “occupy” mean to you?
IM: “To us, ‘occupy’ means to take space and to make space where we are not seen to belong. For the marginalized body, the body on the border, the illegal body, the black body, these days the spaces where our bodies belong are increasingly few, resulting in a narrative of ghetto-ization whereby our bodies are relegated to specific spaces and places. In that regard, occupation itself is a form of narrative resistance whereby we disrupt the predominant spatial imaginary to say ‘yes! we belong here’ and we will come with our colors, our smells, our realities, our experiences, our imaginations, our world view, etc.”
NV: “I think of the importance of taking up space and gaining visibility as an act of resistance.”
EBAY: “To use equality, to have no structure, no judgments, no opinions.”
As a Resident Occupant, what are some of the ways in which your work reflects some of the ideas present in the exhibition?
IM: “We created an installation that is meant to challenge the way attendees occupy gallery spaces and also meant to be a pre-figurative space that allows for the kinds of discussions to take place that we currently don’t have the space or freedom to have. We are using the gallery as a meeting space, a performance space, a home base, a planning space and inviting others in to create the future realities that expand social space for people with black and brown and queer and oppressed bodies/identities.”
NV: “There is a deep investment in translating, representing and making available experiences and issues that otherwise would not be accessible in this environment. It resonates with my practice specifically regarding immigration, queer, and POC survival.”
How have recent social and political events shaped your work in Occupancies?
IM: “Enormously. Our entire work is based on a response to an increasing amount of violence and state-sponsored attack on the black body in space. As we see capitalism accelerating towards its eventual end, we see an increase in the intolerance of black bodies in space.”
NV: “It has only amplified the urgency of this kind of work that has already been necessary for years. It’s reminded me of the fact that we have a long way to go, and need to continue making, building, connecting, no matter what.”
Is there any part of the exhibition that resonates the strongest with you?
IM: “Overall, I am blown away by the work that features the three jornaleros (daily paid workers) sitting eating their lunch. These are people who are commonly rendered so invisible, so rejected, so deported, so vilified, yet they are growing our food, building our structures, caring for our babies. To have their images featured as they are in the window, suggesting that these folks do not belong in the shadows is extremely striking and subtle work.”
NV: “It’s an incredible show that immerses you sensorially.”
In your opinion, what will be the greatest takeaway for those who attend Occupancies?
IM: “The intersectionality. The vast range of people who must occupy space because they do not belong. Queer, brown, black, undocumented, sex- positive, etc. These are the majority, yet only a few are allowed to proudly occupy space.”
NV: “I hope it wakes them up, provides them context, space to reflect/consider/do/ research/empathize.”