Senkpiel, Fabiana (2021). The Act of Un-masking in Black Off (2016−) by Ntando Cele Siècles : Cahiers du Centre d’histoire « Espaces et Cultures »(51) Open Editons Journals
|
Text
siecles-9017.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY). Download (454kB) | Preview |
In her performance Black Off (2016‒), the South African performer Ntando Cele, masked as both “Bianca White” – a white-skinned woman with dyed platinum-blond hair, blue contact lenses and white gloves – and “Vera Black” – a black punk singer – addresses forms of racial discrimination and cultural identity based on her own experience as a South African in Europe. Two levels of un-masking are essential in Black Off. On the one hand it is metaphorical, because Cele deconstructs stereotypes and expectations and exposes the hidden racism in everyday life. On the other hand, it is literally about the un-masking of Bianca White and Vera Black as an aesthetic strategy, which involves an interplay between difference and appropriation. The act of un-masking offers performative potential to negotiate the issue of Black counter-representations.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Original Article) |
|---|---|
Division/Institute: |
Bern Academy of the Arts Bern Academy of the Arts > Institute Practices and Theories in the Arts Bern Academy of the Arts > Institute Practices and Theories in the Arts > Artistic self-conceptualisations |
Name: |
Senkpiel, Fabiana 0000-0002-7165-4859 |
Subjects: |
N Fine Arts > NX Arts in general |
ISSN: |
2275-2129 |
Publisher: |
Open Editons Journals |
Funders: |
[UNSPECIFIED] Schweizerischer Nationalfonds |
Projects: |
[UNSPECIFIED] Kunstfiguren - Gestaltungsprozesse fiktiver Identitäten |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Fabiana Senkpiel |
Date Deposited: |
25 Jan 2022 15:57 |
Last Modified: |
25 Jan 2022 15:57 |
Uncontrolled Keywords: |
performance, contemporary theater, Un-masking, racial discrimination, cultural identity, whiteface, Cele Ntando, Europe, South Africa, 21st century |
ARBOR DOI: |
10.24451/arbor.16503 |
URI: |
https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/16503 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |