Ce que Basquiat nous enseigne: A Conversation on Art, Law and Critical Race Theory
Open to all. Registration required. This event will primarily take place in French.
Ce que Basquiat nous enseigne : A Conversation Between Internationally Renowned Painter Manuel Mathieu and Distinguished Attorney Tamara Thermitus, Ad.E.
About
CRT is a theoretical approach that takes into account the lived experience of racism for Black people. According to this theory, racism is rooted in both institutions and systems that tend to reproduce patterns based on racial prejudice. CRT argues that racism cannot be seen as a defect of individuals. Rather, racism is rooted in power structures. CRT offers a critique of the knowledge that has long excluded Black voices.
This theory, developed by Black legal scholars, also challenges the neutrality of the law and the legal system. In particular, it recognizes the ways in which laws and their interpretation support racial hierarchies. The ultimate goal: to transform the legal and judicial system so that it becomes truly egalitarian.
With CRT in mind, we will examine some of the works of Basquiat (Irony of Negro Policeman and Defacement) a contemporary of CRT theorists to expose issues of social justice. Manuel Mathieu, as a black artist in White Spaces, will share his experience in order to open up a reading of the social context not only of the 1980s, but of the 21st century.
Theory. Art. This discussion will be an opportunity to think differently about the arts and the social construct of race.
Find the works that will be discussed attached.
Manuel Mathieu
Montreal-based multidisciplinary artist Manuel Mathieu is known for his paintings which explore themes of historical violence, erasure, and the physicality of Haitian visual culture, nature, and symbolism.
Marrying abstract and figurative techniques, his compositions allow us to reflect on Haiti's transformative history while inviting us to consider the different futures created by the act of remembering.
Drawing from a wide range of genres, Manuel's practice combines his Haitian heritage with his formal art education, which culminated in an MFA at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Me Tamara Thermitus, Ad.E:
Ms. Thermitus, Ad.E. is a visiting scholar at the McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism. Admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1988, she holds a Master of Laws degree (2013) from McGill University on human rights. She was Director of Policy and Strategic Planning for the Office of Indian Residential Schools Settlement (2004-2006) and Chief Negotiator for the federal government of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She has spearheaded several initiatives to make justice more accessible to historically excluded people.
Holder of the Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Medal (2012), Ms. Thermitus, Ad.E. has received numerous awards including the Mérite du Barreau du Québec (2011), the first black lawyer to receive this recognition.
Since June 2020, Me Thermitus has used her pen to raise awareness among Quebecers by popularizing her knowledge on issues of systemic racism, intersectionality, reconciliation, and violence against women.
Basquiat’s Biography
In the 1980s, Jean-Michel Basquiat was barely out of his teens when he found himself at the heart of the New York art scene. He passed away at the age of 27, crossing the art scene like a shooting star. This self-taught painter adopted graffiti before committing to painting. Basquiat is now recognized as one of the most important contemporary painters and his unique work continues to fascinate.
His iconic works contain enigmatic words, symbols, and diagrams, as well as iconography including skulls, masks, and the artist's signature crown. In his work, Basquiat draws on his own Caribbean heritage, a convergence of Haitian, African American and African cultural histories. His work is marked by both classical themes and protagonists of popular culture, including athletes and musicians.
The immediacy and intellectual depth of his paintings have earned him widespread recognition. Basquiat's paintings are now in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others.
In 2017, Basquiat's Untitled (1982) was sold at auction for $110.5 million USD, making it the most expensive work of art by an American artist ever sold.