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In e en ions
In e na ional Jou nal o Pos colonial S udies
ISSN: 1369-801X (P in ) 1469-929X (Online) Jou nal homepage: h p://www. and online.com/loi/ iij20
Ca ibbean A is ic Genealogies o Wi hd awal.
Re hinking Ca ibbean Visuali y Beyond
Objec hood
Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano
To ci e his a icle: Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano (2017): Ca ibbean A is ic Genealogies
o Wi hd awal. Re hinking Ca ibbean Visuali y Beyond Objec hood, In e en ions, DOI:
10.1080/1369801X.2017.1348243
To link o his a icle: h p://dx.doi.o g/10.1080/1369801X.2017.1348243
Published online: 20 Jul 2017.
Submi you a icle o his jou nal
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CARIBBEAN ARTISTIC GENEALOGIES OF
WITHDRAWAL. RETHINKING CARIBBEAN
VISUALITY BEYOND OBJECTHOOD
Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano
Uni e sidade de Lisboa, Po ugal
..................
a ins i u ions
a is ic agency
biennials
Ca ibbean s udies
spec a o ship
wi hd awal
.................
This essay examines how Ca ibbean a is s ha e employed wi hd awal in
c i ical, insu gen ways. I con on se e al Ca ibbean p ojec s de eloped in
di e en ch onologies and loca ions ha ha e a emp ed o use wi hd awal
in o de o challenge une en ins i u ional dynamics. The examples I discuss
he e –Cuban a dedica es i sel o baseball (Ha ana, José A. Eche a ía
S adium (Vedado), 1989), Sil ano Lo a’s Ma ginal Biennial (San o
Domingo, mul iple loca ions, 1992), Joëlle Fe ly’sL’A de ai e la g è e
(Ma inique, Fonda ion Clémen , 2009) and L’A oca pe (Guadeloupe,
ongoing) –p oblema ize he ole o a is ic agency, he each o he
exhibi ion o m and he influence o o eign expec a ions. T adi ionally,
Ca ibbean a has been subjec ed o a p ocess o commodifica ion and
exo iciza ion. Th ough he examina ion o hose ou p ac ices, I will asse
ha an al e na i e genealogy o ac i e, p oduc i e in e en ions conce ned
wi h s aging emancipa i e spa ial dynamics beyond ep esen a ional
cons ain s and objec hood can be ound.
.......................................................................................................
in e en ions, 2017
h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/1369801X.2017.1348243
© 2017 In o ma UK Limi ed, ading as Taylo & F ancis G oup
In oduc ion
Dealing wi h he ecep ion o C. L. R. James by I alian an iwo k Ma xism,
Taylo (2014) has poin ed ou how he in e na ional success o books like
Michael Ha d and Toni Neg i’sEmpi e implied elici ing James’sinfluence
and e asing he mo emen s o fligh ca ied ou by sla es in he Ca ibbean.
Fo him, his obli ion o ms pa o “a b oade ma ginaliza ion o Ca ibbean
his o ies o sla e y and emancipa ion in genealogies o an iwo k Ma xism”
(Taylo 2014, 2). Discussing Neg i’s eading o an iwo k and he G und isse,
he a gues “ his he meneu ic o he endency …e acua es he pas o any e ec-
i e u u i y while i simul aneously es ablishes a empo ali y o de e al o
hose spaces no ye inco po a ed in o he on ological singula i y o he
u u e’s p esen ”(Taylo 2014, 4). Agains his backd op, Taylo sees in
James a p oduc i e s andpoin o hink he ole o an iwo k heo y as “ he
p oduc o disloca ed, ansna ional encoun e s”(5), and consequen ly
away om hegemonic wes e niza ion and he bounda ies o he na ion-
s a e. Th ough his s udy o sla e y, Taylo a gues, James ound a space sui -
able o wo k in he cons uc ion o “pos wo k al e na i es”(8), which was a
he same ime g ounded and uni e sally e e be a ing.
Al hough sla e y and wo k ha e been app oached by Ca ibbean a is s and
a c i ics on many occasions, he po en ial o an iwo k in he configu a ion o
emancipa o y c ea i e ac ions has somehow ecei ed less a en ion. Ca ib-
bean a has equen ly been examined om he s andpoin o p oduc i i y,
objec hood and display. Unde his logic, he usage o c i ical alue wi hin dis-
cu si e and ep esen a ional p ac ices has cen ed he his o iog aphy abou
he a o he egion, which no mally p i ileges indi idual a is s whose
wo ks a e made o ci cula e widely in e na ionally. A is ic objec s eme ge,
hen, as he ehicle and ca e ake o emancipa o y c i icism, which is ans-
e ed o iewe s h ough hei con empla i e obse a ion. In his sense, he
c ea i e p ocess is de ached om i s esul s; he labou in es ed in i s c ea ion
om he final objec . To a g ea ex en , his p ocess u ns Ca ibbean a
his o y in o a his o y o exhibi ions and indi idual a wo ks.
Theo e ical concep ualiza ions such as Taylo ’s a e c ucial in asse ing he
cen ali y o he Ca ibbean egion in he configu a ion o mode nis hinking,
while a he same ime g ounding and “p o incializing”some o i s elemen s.
1
Bo owing his in e es in elici ing he cen ali y o an iwo k in Ca ibbean
adical p ac ice, and i s ansna ional esonance, his essay’s main conce n
is wi h he exis ence o al e na i e genealogies o Ca ibbean a is ic p ac ice
based on an al e na i e a icula ion o a is ic labou , c i icali y and ecep ion.
My in e es he e lies in explo ing how Ca ibbean c ea i e and cu a o ial p ac-
ices ha e app oached a is ic labou , wi hd awing and loca ion in insu gen ,
c i ical ways. Those elemen s, I sugges , delimi and haun he ho izons o con-
empo a y Ca ibbean c ea i e p ac ices.
1 The e a e impo an
heo e ical
an eceden s o his
ask, wi h Buck-
Mo ss (2009) and
Fische (2004) as wo
o he bes -known
examples.
in e en ions 2
............................
By analysing se e al ini ia i es ha we e a en i e o he p ac ical, in a-
s uc u al condi ions de e mining a is ic p ac ice in specific Ca ibbean con-
ex s, in his essay I seek o explo e how bo h s a egies can cons i u e
al e na i e genealogies o Ca ibbean isual c ea i i y, which a e pa ially
unexplo ed in (local and ex e nal) c i ical hinking on he ma e . In his
sense, I in end o see how hey can illumina e he his o ies o Ca ibbean a is-
ic p ac ice in di e en ways. How can we app op ia e p oduc i ely, om a
Ca ibbean pe spec i e, he adi ion o a is ic wi hd awal ha cons i u es a
ounda ion o mode nis aes he ics? Fu he mo e, wha would he answe s
elabo a ed om he Ca ibbean egion con ibu e o he cu en in e na ional
deba es on a is ic labou and ins i u ional wi hd awal?
Assuming ha hose ques ions a e wo h explo ing, my i ine a y is as
ollows. Fi s , I will conside how he concep o wi hd awal became unhinged
om i s adical po en ial h ough i s adop ion by a adi ion o a an -ga dis
aes he ics ha sees i as a mode o de achmen and de e al om “ eal”
engagemen and emancipa ion. Then, I will examine he majo elemen s
ha cen e he a c i icism p oduced in and a ound he Ca ibbean, paying
special a en ion o he ole played by he p oduc ion, display and ci cula ion
o a is ic objec s wi hin and beyond he egion. Finally, I will discuss se e al
examples ha cons i u e an al e na i e genealogy o Ca ibbean cu a o ial
p ac ices, jus i ying why an in e p e a ion o Ca ibbean a om he pe spec-
i e o labou and wi hd awal is pa icula ly poignan . My examples belong
o di e en geog aphical con ex s and his o ical momen s; hey ep esen ,
howe e , a cons an end in Ca ibbean a is ic p ac ice whose amifica ions
ha e been seldom explo ed. In his ins ance, I will limi my analysis o ou
examples commi ed o p oducing an ac i e e hinking o wi hd awal,
al hough many o he s could ha e been chosen. I will hen analyse how Ca -
ibbean cu a o s and a is s ha e decen ed he space o cu a ing, he eby mi i-
ga ing he weigh o biennials and mega-exhibi ions while also ins i u ing
al e na i e, empowe ing cu a o ial s a egies; how hey ha e eflec ed on
wi hd awing and labou in p oduc i e, collabo a i e ways; and finally, how
hey ha e engaged wi h loca ion and space.
Wi hd awal and a an -ga de aes he ics
The weigh o p oduc i i y, discu si i y and objec hood in Ca ibbean a is ic
p ac ice has a long genealogy, which I will pa ially ou line in he ollowing
sec ions. This genealogy, howe e , is also imb ica ed in he main adi ion
o wes e n a an -ga de a . Focusing on elabo a ing a c i ical amewo k o
analyse dialogical p ac ices, G an Kes e ecognizes he use o wi hd awal
as a ecu en endency among he successi e wa es o a an -ga dis
CARIBBEAN ARTISTIC GENEALOGIES OF WITHDRAWAL
Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano
3
............................
aes he ics. Kes e (2004, 39) app oaches he wo k o Cli e Bell, Roge F y and
Clemen G eenbe g in o de o asse ha a ’s au onomy was o a g ea
ex en buil on wi hd awal om he disenchan men wi h “ eal”poli ical
change and on pos ponemen o aes he ic ans o ma ion un il he appea ance
o an “ideal iewe -ye - o-be”. Fo Kes e , he de achmen om eali y o
a an -ga dis a is s is pa o an eli is mo emen ha unde alued posi i e
and non-ma e ial in e ac ion, s ipping “non-p oduc i e”, dialogical p ac-
ices om he condi ion o aes he ic pu i y. Mo e ecen ly, he has de eloped
his idea u he , ou lining ha a an -ga dis aes he ic adi ion is based on
nega i i y, on “laying ba e” he cons uc ep esen ed by he ideological s uc-
u e o he a sys em, which would emain hidden un il he a i al o he
“enligh ened”a is :
The ac o ‘laying ba e he de ice’implies an audience o whom he de ice was
al eady concealed: a iewe who would be made suddenly awa e o he exis ence
o some s uc u ing ideological mechanism ha egula ed wha was p e iously
expe ienced as his o he au onomous hough and ac ion in he wo ld. (2013, 14)
The consequences o his p ocess no only ein o ce he agency o he a is a
he expense o he audience, i also makes he ela ion be ween bo h depen-
den on an ac o unco e ing a concealed u h, limi ing any o he possible
engagemen . In ha sense, Kes e a gues, mo e “cons uc i e”ways o con-
cei ing ha ela ionship a e disca ded o supposedly being oo much
elian on consensus o ag eemen . As a esul o his, an aes he ic o ailu e
is ins alled, one in which wi hd awal is unde s ood as a necessa y de achmen
om eali y: “A significan ea u e o he mode nis adi ion is an ongoing
medi a ion on he uins o discou se –a wo ks ha a e abou he a is ’s
inabili y o achie e he emancipa o y communion ha is an icipa ed by he
aes he ic”(2004, 31). The mos sui able aes he ic model o his scheme is dis-
up ion. Since iewe s a e used o being decei ed, only h ough a nega i e and
un ulfilled con on a ion wi h eali y can he spec a o ob ain an aes he ically
en iching ou come. Any “social”o “poli ical”elemen s ough o capi ula e
o his nega i i y, being inco po a ed as discu si e elemen s and he e o e
denying any possibili y o “ eal”collec i e change (2011, 42). The wo k o
a is s such as San iago Sie a, who usually subjec s he audience and ou -
sou ced ac o s o expe ience auma ic si ua ions in “con olled en i on-
men s”such as museums o a galle ies, would epi omize a posi ion:
based on he assump ion ha he wo k o a should challenge o dis up he
iewe ’s expec a ions abou a gi en image, objec , o sys em o meaning and ha
he iewe , in u n, equi es his dis up ion o o e come his o he eliance on habi -
ual o ms o pe cep ion. (2004, 17)
in e en ions 4
............................

Kes e ’s insigh s in his ega d a e jus one among many simila con ibu ions.
I I ha e discussed i he e, i is because o his in e es in examining he use o
wi hd awal by a an -ga de aes he ics, and mo e specifically, because his con-
ce ns a e ele an o he Ca ibbean examples which I will discuss. In he nex
sec ion I will explo e how he aes he ic cu en c i icized he e has somehow
influenced he main in e p e a ions o he Ca ibbean his o ies o a is ic
mode ni y.
Ca ibbean isual cul u e and objec hood
As ea ly as 1977, Syed Hussein Ala as had explained how he idea o laziness
o e ed he possibili y o blaming he colonized o he dys unc ional elemen s
o colonial ule, which would play a cen al ole in he policing o Asian
socie ies (Ala as 1977). The image o he Ca ibbean has been subjec ed o a
simila p ocess o emp ying and exo ifica ion. The cons uc ion o he Ca ib-
bean as a place o leisu e and inac i i y has configu ed a specific isual ima-
gina y (Shelle 2003; Thompson 2006). The cen ali y o he a wo k and
i s display o e he c ea i e p ocess and he mul iple agencies in ol ed in
ha p oduc ion cons i u es, I will a gue, one o he main easons behind he
obli ion o p ac ices o a is ic wi hd awal in he egion. The his o y o Ca -
ibbean a has been equen ly educed o a his o y o empo a y la ge-scale
exhibi ions and biennials. Being jus one mani es a ion o c ea i e a is ic
ac i i y among many o he s, hese e en s ha e a ac ed he b un o c i ical
a en ion. The e is no ques ion ha hey ha e played a cen al ole in in a-
egional consolida ion o and in he de elopmen o inno a i e ways o con-
cei ing c ea i i y and spec a o ship. Howe e , i is also ue ha hese mani-
es a ions ha e p e ailed a he expense o o he s a egies, es ic ing ou
capaci y o en isage h ough cu a ing al e na i e a icula ions o a is ic
agencies and spa ial linkages.
In dealing wi h he o igins o he “exhibi iona y complex”, Tony Benne
p esen ed i as
a his o y, hen, o he o ma ion o a new public and i s insc ip ion in new ela ions
o powe and knowledge. Bu a his o y accompanied by a pa allel one aimed a he
des uc ion o ea lie adi ions o popula exhibi ion and he publics hey implied
and p oduced. (1996, 68)
Ca ibbean cu a o ial his o y is in e sec ed by his une en dis ibu ion o isi-
bili y and display o discou ses, subjec s and objec s. F om a e y ea ly ime,
he o m o na ional and egional mega-exhibi ions was consolida ed in a e y
specific way. These exhibi ions ha e egula ed ques ions o accessibili y, dis-
ibu ion and ep esen a ion, de e mining he ways in which di e en agencies
can pa icipa e in a is ic p ocesses. Exhibi ions, Benne a gues (1996, 73),
CARIBBEAN ARTISTIC GENEALOGIES OF WITHDRAWAL
Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano
5
............................
“made he o de o hings dynamic”. Ne e heless, his does no mean ha
hey we e any less beholden o na ional o bou geois ideological in e es s,
no ha hey we e eed om colonial and na ionalis expec a ions. Some-
hing simila can be said wi h ega d o Ca ibbean conce ns in gene al, and
his would be an in e es ing pa h o pu sue.
2
This imagina y o e shadows bo h he cen ali y o wo k and labou in he
configu a ion o a Ca ibbean emancipa o y imagina y, and he impac o ha
imagina y in he configu a ion o ansna ional s uggles and adical poli ics.
Wha is ema kable is how his genealogy has pe mea ed he discou ses ha
a emp o challenge ha logic om a Ca ibbean pe spec i e. In many cases,
he c i ical alue o an a wo k is g an ed by i s abili y o espond in i onic and
imagina i e ways o hose exo ic expec a ions. Challenging he main oun-
da ions o his imagina y has been a cen al conce n in he agendas o con em-
po a y Ca ibbean c ea o s. In ying o con es he inhe i ance o he colonial
gaze wi hin he imagina ies o he pic u esque (Shelle and John 2004;
Thompson 2006), he poli ics and imes o ecep ion o Ca ibbean isuali y
(Wainw igh 2012), and he commodi iza ion o acial and sexual di e ence
wi hin and beyond he egion (Kempadoo 2013; Mohammed 2011; S ephens
2013), a s ong emphasis has been placed on explo ing and ca ego izing he
coun e -na a i es elabo a ed by Ca ibbean a is s. Michelle S ephens, who
has ex ensi ely analysed he c ea i e p ac ices eme ging a he end o he
2000s, iden ifies an in e es in explo ing “no jus …wha Ca ibbean a ep-
esen s – imelessness, insula i y, popula u ban spaces, my hs, cul u al c oss-
oads –bu a he …wha Ca ibbean a does”(2013, 17).
A simila conce n is exp essed by he T inidadian a is Ch is ophe Cozie ,
who emphasizes he impo ance o de e mining how Ca ibbean discou ses a e
displayed and commodified:
In a place like he Ca ibbean, we canno ake he agency o po ai u e o g an ed,
in he a e ma h o a much longe his o y o opog aphical and an h opological ep-
esen a ions. The subjec posi ion –o he ole o he subjec –wi hin he ame o
field o pic o ial ep esen a ion is highly con es ed. S anda d egional his o ical na -
a i es o he Ca ibbean ecoun o egis e de elopmen al shi s om pe sons being
p i a ely owned p ope y –inden u ed wo ke s and colonial subjec s – o being ci i-
zens –o a epublic, o example. Bu in he pic o ial domain, we a e s ill an h opo-
logical, cul u al, na ional, e hnic o elec o al commodi ies and signifie s. We emain
labelled bu nameless images. (Cozie 2011,9)
Cozie ’s in e es in de e mining he agency o Ca ibbean a b ings ce ain
elemen s o in e es s o he o e. His s a emen a emp s o mo e beyond
ha idea, highligh ing he impo ance o no only c ea ing coun e -discou ses,
bu also elabo a ing ools ac i ely o con ol a is ic agency. Cozie s esses
he impo ance o con olling he fluxes o a commodifica ion no only by
2 Al hough some
wo k has been done
in his ega d in
coun ies such as
Cuba o Jamaica, we
s ill need a mo e
comp ehensi e iew
on bo h how
na ionalis cul u al
poli ics has
condi ioned
cu a o ial
in e en ions, and on
how hese
in e en ions ha e
ins i u ed al e na i e
s a egies and means.
in e en ions 6
............................
u ning ex e nal s e eo ypes a ound, bu also by de eloping s a egies ha
migh encou age ac i e ways o e e sing he commodified s a us o Ca ib-
bean a as a adeable and expo able good. Fu he mo e, Cozie asks o
an al e na i e unde s anding o a is ic agency, one ha e uses o ake o
g an ed “a much longe his o y o opog aphical and an h opological ep-
esen a ions”. The T inidadian a is himsel has o e ed a good example o
his by engaging ac i ely in he c ea ion o a pla o ms such as CCA7 o
Alice Ya d in Po -o -Spain, which ha e been decisi e in he de elopmen o
a sphe e o discussion and c i ical engagemen wi h T inidadian cul u e
since he ea ly 2000s.
3
Ca ibbean a is ull o al e na i es o his conund um. Socially engaged a
p ojec s, a is - un spaces, pedagogical p ac ices and cu a ed e nacula
mani es a ions (such as ca ni al) ha e gene a ed much less a en ion han
biennials o in e na ional mega-exhibi ions (as excep ions o his poin we
can men ion Tancons [2012]; Thompson [2012]). Despi e his ac , hey
ha e channelled some o he mos inno a i e and da ing a is ic ini ia i es
a ising om he egion. These p ac ices a e in many cases uelling angible
ans o ma ions ha ouch upon o ganiza ional and s uc u al condi ions
o a is ic p ac ice ac oss he Ca ibbean. They aim o configu e a space o
nego ia ion whe e he weigh o genealogies and po en ial insu gen public
a enas can be de eloped wi h he a ay o al e na i e o ms o display and
coexis ence.
In his sense, he dependence in Ca ibbean c i icism on a is ic discou ses
and he exhibi ion o ma o e shadows he s a egies unde aken by Ca ib-
bean a is s o escape ex e nal ca ego iza ions and hema iza ions. Acknowl-
edging he impo ance o hese p ac ices does no imply he c ea ion o a
pa allel, independen his o y in which a exhibi ions and a is ic discou ses
a e disengaged. I means ecognizing ha Ca ibbean cu a o ial p ac ices
eflec a po ous, ensioned field composed o compe ing and he e ogeneous
p ac ices, agencies and mo i a ions, in which biennials and a exhibi ions
a e jus wo possibili ies among many o he s. Th ough his lens, a whole se
o possibili ies would s and agains he commodifica ion and exo ifica ion
o he Ca ibbean imagina y.I will now explo e some specific mani es a ions
ela ed o his unde s anding, linking hem o he main ques ions posed
hus a .
Ca ibbean cu a o ial genealogies o wi hd awing
In 1989 a g oup o a is s and cu a o s assembled in Ha ana o play baseball.
In 1992 an an i-biennial was o ganized ha eschewed o hodox exhibi ion
spaces and aking shel e in p i a e, pe iphe al houses in San o Domingo.
3 Unlike Jamaica and
Ba bados, T inidad
lacks a solid public
in as uc u e o
con empo a y a
ins i u ions. The
de elopmen o
mode nis ends in
he coun y owes
much o ini ia i es
such as hese.
CARIBBEAN ARTISTIC GENEALOGIES OF WITHDRAWAL
Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano
7
............................
In 2009 an a is e using o exhibi any hing wen on s ike in he con ex o a
g oup exhibi ion opening in Ma inique. These a e jus a ew examples o ac s
o wi hd awal ca ied ou by Ca ibbean a is s in ecen decades. Th oughou
my case s udy we find a conce n wi h (in) isibili y and spec acle, and also wi h
he exhaus ion o he empo a y exhibi ion cu a o ial o ma . My examples
occupy a as ajec o y o using wi hd awal in p oduc i e, a fi ma i e
e ms. They pu sue a ho ough ans o ma ion o he s uc u es su ounding
a is ic labou in he Ca ibbean. In so doing, hey o e a good poin o
e hinking he his o ies o cu a ing in he Ca ibbean. Con ingen upon a
simila se o issues and enac ing (appa en ly) simila esponses, hese p ac-
ices in o m a Ca ibbean c ea i e genealogy based on he ac o fleeing.
This, as I will asse , encompasses ac ical adjus men s, mo( e)men s o
ideas and people, and ac i e econfigu a ions o place(s) and space(s), a icu-
la ing wha Michaeline C ichlow and Pa icia No ho e ha e defined in
o he con ex s as p ocesses o “fleeing”and “homing”(2009; see also C i-
chlow 2012).
La plás ica cubana se dedica al béisbol (Cuban A Dedica es I sel o Base-
ball), he fi s p ojec I will men ion, ook place in la e Sep embe 1989 in he
José A. Eche a ía s adium in Vedado, Ha ana. Se e al Cuban a is s, c i ics
and cu a o s, including René F ancisco, An onio Eligio Fe nández “Tonel”,
Glexis No oa, Luis Gómez, Ge a do Mosque a and I án de la Nuez, o ga-
nized a baseball game as a p o es o he si ua ions o censo ship ha in
a ious ways condi ioned he Cuban a scene in hose yea s.
4
The mo o
o he p ojec was: “Since we canno make a , we will play baseball”.
This e en was pa o a gene al phenomenon o wi hd awal cha ac e izing
Cuban a is ic p ac ice a he u n o he 1980s, a mo emen desc ibed by
Rachel Weiss as
an abandonmen o he public –as si e, audience, and aspi a ion; a e ea om an
e hic o collec i ism; a de ensi e es o a ion o he isual in isual a ; shi ing o -
unes o he li e al and he me apho ic, shi ing o a is s’sel -posi ioning ela i e
o o ficial ins i u ions, and shi ing o hose ins i u ions’own e olu iona y logic.
(Weiss 2011, 158)
In his case, wi hd awal ollowed an excess o poli ical e e escence ha
occu ed in discu si e e ms. I implied a change o s a egy agains he back-
d op o he closu e o he exhibi iona y as a pla o m o exp ession. I also
a ose as a ac ical and ac i e occupa ion o he space o baseball, Cuba’s
na ional spo . The choice o baseball was ull o conno a ions. On he one
hand, his pa icula game coun e ed he popula and spec acula na u e o
baseball in Cuba, making explici o he e olu iona y es ablishmen he si u-
a ion o a ophy de i ing om he di ficul ies o p oducing a in con ex s o
4 Me e mon hs p io
o he game, René
F ancisco and
Edua do Ponjuán’s
exhibi ion A is a
Melod amá ico was
censo ed, and Ma cia
Leiseca, hen Vice
Minis e o Cul u e,
was fi ed.
in e en ions 8
............................
such as his one, Fe ly si ua es he wo k wi hin a con ex whe e i is impossible
o “escape om he box”. By ocusing on he poli ical economy o di e ence,
and no on one single ca ego iza ion,
7
Fe ly eflec s upon he complexi y o
nego ia ing he posi ion as an a is .
Figu e 5. Joëlle Fe ly. L’A de Fai e G è e. Fonda ion Clémen (Ma inique). 2009.
Figu e 4. Joëlle Fe ly. L’A de Fai e G è e. Fonda ion Clémen (Ma inique). 2009.
7 Fe ly emembe s
he case o a Swedish
a is li ing in
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I is my con en ion, howe e , ha L’A de ai e la g è e cons i u es a s ep
o wa d om p e ious p ojec s such as Please Pass he Da k Chocola e O e .
Despi e he sense o humou and he idea o p ojec ing he nonsensical eason-
ing o adminis a i e bu eauc acies, in his case he pe o mance is di ec ed
owa d a pe ec ly defined a ge : he mos impo an exhibi ion enue in
he F ancophone Ca ibbean. Conscious o he p essing need o make a s a e-
men , Fe ly’sL’A de ai e la g è e esponds o a e y specific se ies o ci -
cums ances. In 2009 he F ancophone Ca ibbean was he scene o a ious
p o es s agains social inequali y and economic p eca iousness. Fe ly’s ac
o defiance ook place a e he c ea ion o he LKP (Liyannaj kon pwofi as-
yon) collec i e du ing he same yea (see Bonilla 2015). Fe ly sough o ans-
la e LKP’s plea o so e eign y and s uggle agains me opoli an, “ o eign”
in e e ence (which led o a 44-day s ike be ween Janua y and Ma ch o
2009) in he F ancophone Ca ibbean cul u al milieu. These e en s we e
pa o he la ges p o es mo emen o ake place in he F ancophone An illes
since hey became Depa men s d’Ou e Me (DOM).
A e comple ing he a is ic aining in Pa is and London, Fe ly se led
back in Guadeloupe in 2008, whe e she became in ol ed in he poli ical si u-
a ion o he islands. L’A de ai e g è e in ended o b ing o he space o he
a ins i u ion he si ua ion o c isis a ec ing he DOMs. In he p ojec s a e-
men , Fe ly makes e e ence no only o he 2009 s ikes, bu also o how
Figu e 6. L’A oca pe. Le Moule (Guadeloupe).
London whose
English was pe ec ,
sa e o a sligh
accen . This speaks o
he e sa ili y o he
p ojec .
in e en ions 16
............................
hey we e emp ied o meaning by he media ope a ing in “F ance hexago-
nale”. She is conce ned wi h how he ac i is po en ial o local mo emen s
is comp omised by he oppo unis ic endencies o local and me opoli an
public opinion, including he F ench Le . Simila ly, L’A de ai e la g è e
ques ions he ex en o which discu si e agency can be wi hd awn when
ha agency is con olled and displayed “chez le beké”.He posi ion
owa d he Fonda ion is, ne e heless, ambi alen , since she ecognizes
ha he ins i u ion has been c ucial in o igina ing and dissemina ing An il-
lean con empo a y p ac ices.
Pe haps he weakes poin o L’A de ai e la g è e is i s incapaci y o
en isage any al e na i e communi y o audience o a is ic p ac ice.
The e is no esponse o he ques ions posed by he ac ion beyond he nega-
i i y o e using ins i u ional con ol and he g amma o exhibi ion p ac-
ice. A esponse would subsequen ly be p o ided, in he o m o
L’A oca pe, he fi s a is -managed space in Guadeloupe. Founded by
Fe ly, L’A oca pe is a ede a ion o local a is s who use he space o de el-
oping hei wo k and o exchanging imp essions. L’A oca peisalsoana
esidency ha encou ages in e na ional isi o s o in e ac wi h local c ea-
o s h ough many ac i i ies, such as open con e sa ions, wo kshops and
s udio isi s. The isi o s a e he e o e no commi ed o ans o m hei
s ay in a pe ec ly finished p oduc , such as an exhibi ion. On he con a y,
hey a e in ended o use he space and he s uc u e o L’A oca pe o
ad ance wi h wo k in p og ess and o conduc p ac ical esea ch. Such
ini ia i es ha e connec ed he communi y o Guadeloupean a is s wi h
a eas ou side F ance, loosening he dependence owa d he me opoli an
space and i s espec i e a scene.
8
In his sense, by posi ioning i sel a he
ma gins o p ocess-o ien ed, long- e m c ea i i y, he esidency enables
ongoing eedback and in e na ional exchange despi e he cul u al obli ion
mo i a ed by he o ganiza ional dis ibu ion o he Ca ibbean DOMs. L’A -
oca pe can hus be seen as an a emp o complemen he nega i i y and
i ony o Fe ly’s indi idual pe o mances, se ing as a pla o m whe e
space is ac i ely and con inuously es aged and e amed. He e, wi hd aw-
ing is ans o med in o in as uc u al p oduc ion, and collec i e and indi-
idual agencies a e in e laced in open, insu gen ways.
Conclusions
The examples I ha e discussed unc ion by undoing and hen deepening he
spa ial – empo al sha e ing o empo a y exhibi ion p ac ices, which, as I
ha e asse ed, ha e significan ly shaped he his o ies o Ca ibbean a is ic p o-
duc ion. In hese p ojec s, wi hd awal is used as a o m o c i ical posi ioning.
8 Fo ins ance,
L’A oca pe has
c ea ed bonds wi h
o he simila a is -
managed spaces and
cu a o ial ini ia i es
in T inidad, Sou h
A ica and Senegal.
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I wo ks as a way o comp omising ins i u ional and in as uc u al dynamics
and pla o ms pe cei ed as nega i e o na ow minded. The Cuban case is a
bi di e en because he baseball ac ion implied he subsequen “ eal”wi h-
d awal om he coun y o many o he pa icipan s. In any e en , he p ojec s
examined he e eme ge as a esponse o he s agna ion o local a sys ems and
o he lack o in as uc u al agency o a is ic communi ies. In all he cases,
“con en ional” o ms o p oduc ion a e abandoned, and his e y abandon-
men becomes he con eyo o aes he ic alue and meaning in each ac ion. In
he ou examples discussed he e, communi y and collec i e agency a e no
p efigu ed, bu ac i ely p oduced. All o hem a ise om an in e es in inse -
ing a is ic p ac ice wi hin a c i ical concep ualiza ion o space and loca ion,
one ha co ela es ac s o “fleeing”and “homing”. These p ojec s can be seen
as es ablishing linkages o a chain o depa u es anscending na ional bo de s
and specific agendas and es ablishing wha Mezzad a (2012,17–20) has
called “mo emen s o secession”.
My examples can be di ided in o wo ca ego ies: Cuban A Dedica es I sel
o Baseball and L’A de ai e la g è e o e an agonis esponses o censo -
ship, ins i u ional p essu e, economic p i ilege and cul u al seg ega ion. On
he o he hand, he Ma ginal Biennial and L’A oca pe sha e his dimension,
ye hey also p oduce a fi ma i e, ins i uen ac ions. A he same ime, hese
wo p ojec s c ea ed a esonance ex ending beyond he local p edicamen s
o which hey sough a esponse. The Ma ginal Biennial was no me ely a
esponse o he “o ficial”San o Domingo o 1992, o a nega i e e sion o
he Ca ibbean Biennial. I also en ailed an o ganic conside a ion o he Ca -
ibbean egion linked o o he spaces o poli ical and cul u al eme gence. Simi-
la ly, he nega i i y o Joëlle Fe ly’s pe o mance was ans o med in o a
posi i e measu e h ough he c ea ion o L’A oca pe. Bo h p ojec s concei e
collabo a i e a as a du able and p oduc i e in e en ion, going beyond a
simple ans o ma ion o spec a o ship wi hin he con ex o a exhibi ions
(Bishop 2012; W igh 2004).
The ques ions aised h ough he use o wi hd awal o e a good an age
poin om which o g asp he main conce ns ha ha e cen ed Ca ibbean
a is ic p ac ice o e he las wo decades. The p ojec s ou lined he e in e-
g a e al e na i e, insu gen c ea i e genealogies, while also e idencing
how Ca ibbean c ea i i y is compelled o ace a b oad edefini ion o cul-
u al dynamics in con ex s o ins i u ional p eca iousness and con es ed
public sphe es. A he same ime, hey also s aigh o wa dly p oblema ize
he unc ion o a in ela ion o he local social ab ic, while ques ioning
issues o accessibili y, p i ilege and indi idual and collec i e agency. Mo e
han s anding o “good o bad esponses”, hen, hey e idence a ui ul
mo emen , especially in e ms o how deba es on cul u al and ins i u ional
p ac ices should be amed.
in e en ions 18
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Acknowledgemen s
This wo k was suppo ed by a Pos -Doc o a e Fellowship g an ed by he Po -
uguese Fundação pa a a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT). I was also suppo ed by
he esea ch p ojec ‘El a is a y el dolo : El su imien o como lími e de la ep e-
sen ación en la cul u a a ís ica con empo ánea (HAR2012- 31321)’.The
de eloped esea ch was p oduced o e se e al long- e m esea ch s ays in he
Ca ibbean and he Uni ed S a es (Lilly Lib a y, Duke Uni e si y, 2013; NYU
Bobs Lib a y, New Yo k Uni e si y, 2015). Finally, he ex benefi ed om
he con e sa ions wi h Denisa Tomko a and Fe nanda Gil Cos a.
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