Artists in Magical Thinking, of Systems and Beliefs, manuel arturo abreu, Jonathan González, sidony o’neal, and fields harrington use writing as a form of art; as a tool to expand upon their practices; and as a way to reflect upon past, current, and future. Peruse the writings below to consider how writing factors into their practices and shapes “magical thinking.”
The artists on view in the exhibition employ artistic research in official state archives, in Nollywood films, and across mathematical concepts. How does artistic research pose challenges, disruptions, or reimaginings for systems and beliefs?
All of the exhibiting artists in Magical Thinking, of Systems and Beliefs reference critical theoretical texts in the processes of developing work. Whether citing them directly in the works, or incorporating concepts from the texts, the artists consider conceptual ideas in their works ranging from Black fugitivity to alternative cartographies. In the following reading list, scholars invested in post- and anti-colonial scholarship imagine other worlds. How might these texts reconsider hierarchies of knowledge? How do you trace these conceptual influences in the works on view?