Two male black actors, identical twins dressed in tails, jitterbug in reaction to short commands. They play vigorously on an imaginary guitar and throw lascivious glances at the camera. The performance is a mix between a play, a minstrel show and a parody on racist genres. In this work by Boyce the demand for identity is developed in a play of stereotypes and caricatures. 'I Want To See It' is her first video and elaborates on her photographic work. 'The burden of representation' in her work can be traced to the critical years of 'black art' in Great Britain. Throughout the eighties artists like Sonia Boyce, Keith Piper, Donald Rodney, Claudette Johnson and Janet Vernon confronted matters representing identity by employing a number of different strategies. Precursor of the video 'I Want To See It' is her photographic project 'One Afro, Twenty-Five People' (Manchester, 1996) where she invites the public to pose for the camera wearing an Afro wig. In this project she incorporates a number of questions on identity, longing and the stereotypical fascination with the Other. The Afro headpiece is clearly a political statement, but it also embodies the history of the black man as clown. For Boyce this use of a comical prop sharpens the image; it does not lead to a definitive negative image. Her people do not forget for a moment what is happening; they are aware of the presence of the camera. And they are not only aware of the performance process, they also give active form to it. Her aim is to cast doubt on the stereotyped borders of black identity. The work is a symbol of internal conflict.
– Ilse Chin |
Sonia Boyce, 1962, London (United Kingdom)
Lives and works in London (United Kingdom)
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