Black Girlz Rule NYC Arts Scene

...at least, from my perspective. late last night, after watching the brazillians beat the hell out of the tamborine at a free concert in central park, i went to the danny simmons corridor gallery (344 grand avenue in brooklyn) to see the "I Witness" installation by rwandan-born artist, Duhirwe Rushemeza, the 2006 artist-in-residence at the harlem school of the arts. the installation, a "reflection and commemoration of the lives lost during the 1994 rwandan genocide," was one in which Rushemeza, "...remain(ed)silent for a 24-hour period carving out a pair of eyes every twelve seconds to investigate the breakdown of the statistics for (the) 1994 rwandan genocide that claimed the lives of 800,000 people. these killings occured over a 100 day period at a rate of 8000 people per day, 333 people per hour, five people per minute, and one person every 12 seconds..."

she carved with a teensy little exacto type knife filling in the outlines of large abstract shapes set against a sky-blue background with hundreds of sets of tiny little eye's. it was absolutely silent in the gallery space, out of respect for the act of commemoration, and she was facinating to watch: a graceful and thin wristed, burnt brown-skinned woman with a cascade of copper dredlocs wrapped into a bun on the top of her head. her carving was meticulous and methodical. she glanced up only once per group of visitors and she carefully looked each of one of us in the eyes before bowing her head to return to her work. every few minutes or so she would glance at her watch as if to make sure that her carvings kept time with the literal act of one murder per twelve second period.

the impact was powerful in a contemplative kind of way. since she maintained her pace for 24 hours (she'd been at it about 10 hours by the time my friends and i got there)you had to wonder at the dedication of the the murderer's and also the sheer stamina it would take (physical and psychic)to both commit and endure such terror.

also of note this summer: kara walker at the MET using her silhouettes to dialogue with the masters about the meaning of black folk, water and the katrina disaster, imani uzuri's ground breaking musical theatre debut, "her holy water: a black girls rock opera" @ joes pub and other venues throughout the city, the collage art of kenyan artist wangechi mutu at the sikkema jenkins & company gallery as well as the organic, hand-dyed, paper and house paint abstract paintings of sienna horton at the DUMBA arts collective in brooklyn, which you can see by appointment or homegirl hook-up only.

hoping to see sara jone's bridge and tunnel on broadway and, of course, the color purple musical as well before i go back home late july.