From Politics to Post, and Other Idioms in Contemporary Black Art: A Look at Postrace

The term “postrace” has emerged in recent years as both a theoretical and sociological construct, but as yet has been little discussed in relation to cultural production, specifically visual art. This thesis reviews the terminology, theory and issues that shaped the production and reception of Black art in the past century as it leads to the current discourse of postrace in the Obama era. My research investigates how art, discourse and politics interrelate to form the context for Black artists' production. Through the case studies of watershed exhibitions such as the 1993 Whitney Biennial (1993), Freestyle (2001) Documenta 11 (2002), and Afro-­Modern (2010), I analyze the implications of terms such as “identity politics,” “post-­‐black,” “creolization” and, most importantly, “postrace” in relation to recent and contemporary Black art