Introduction to Afro-Atlantic Visual Traditions

ARTH-A255 — Fall 2021

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Instructor
Bárbaro Martínez-Ruiz
Location
Woodburn Hall 005
Days and Times
MW 9:25a.m. - 10:40a.m.
Course Description

This course will demonstrate and explore the broad influence of African visual communication on contemporary art and vernacular culture through global exchange, drawing on Kongo, Kuba, and Chokwe cultures in particular. The art to be covered can be collectively called Graphic Writing Systems, two- and three-dimensional modes of visual communication embedded with spiritual meaning. These include writing known in central Africa as bidimbu (religious altars), Nkisi (“powerful healing figures”), and sung or chanted pieces known as Mambos.