So...I made this little object. And I am objectifying here on my blog because for me it raises question of entitlement. When I say this I mean that I am wondering if, as an artist, I an entitled to the history before me, enough so to recreate, or to mimick an object like the Venus of Willendorf. Similarly, can I snatch the history of African Americans or of women, because I am both, even though, like Venus, that history not only exists far before I thought of being an artist, but far before I was born, like that of slavery and civil rights. I am entitled to a history that actually isn't mine?? Can I talk about black people just because I'm black? Can I objectify women, because I have earned the right to do so, just by being one? Further more, are other cultures, stories, and significant issues and strategies in the world, (such as painting) off limits to me because I do not paint, I am not Jewish, I was not alive during the days of the Mayans?? Let me know.
