With the academic year off to a new beginning, so are the artists featured in the McMullen Museum of Art’s new exhibit, States of Becoming.
The exhibit, which opened on Sept. 9 and will be up until Dec. 8, features the artwork of 17 contemporary artists from the African diaspora in their search for self after resettling in the United States. Through their art, they explore the challenges and joy of immigrating to the United States.
Themes of assimilation, family, home, and opportunity merge together in this new exhibition, with all its rough edges exposed.
While this new exhibit portrays the stories of artists who have crossed an ocean, their narratives may parallel those of college students crossing the threshold from childhood to young adulthood. These artists are thrust into the multidimensional melting pot that is the United States, and, similarly, college students strike out on the microcosm of the world that exists on Boston College’s campus.
Entering the exhibit, one is immediately faced with Masimba Hwati’s tintype portraits. Tintypes are a form of photography that creates an image on a thin piece of metal or iron. The self-posed, Zimbabwe-born, mixed-media artist uses the stark contrast of black and white in these photos to evoke attention.
In his two portraits, certain elements hint toward the artist’s complicated heritage, his relationship with his father, and the scars guerrilla warfare left on them both, as explained in the work’s description. In both portraits, the viewer must linger and make eye contact with the subject’s emotionless expression.
Perhaps in coming to a new country, these artists were hungry to be seen in their entirety. These artists, immigrants studying America for its flaws and charms, also hope to be seen in their incompleteness.
The collection, assembled by curator Fitsum Shebeshe, focuses on the construction identity in the face of relocation and resettling, he states.
Immigrants entering this country are faced with countless hurdles to overcome. They may face the challenge of not being American enough to fit or too American in a self-neglecting manner. They may find themselves navigating a constant tension between honoring their heritage and participating in American culture.
College students also balance the tension between who they are and what others expect of them. Like mass-produced airport art, how many elements can one discard without losing one’s essence?
Another highlight of the exhibition is the short animated film, “Zikir” by Kibrom Araya. “Zikir,” which translates into “remembrance,” follows the story of Kibrom in his quest to find his identity in his home and his church, ultimately forming his worldview and artistic voice.
Embedded throughout this plot is the constant image of a caterpillar attempting to climb a tree, only to fall every time. It’s a metaphor for becoming. Self-discovery is not a linear quest, the film suggests. It requires picking yourself up and attempting, again and again, the gargantuan task of re-defining yourself.
States of Becoming has many intertwined stories of seeking home, community, and identity. The exhibit, however, is more of an emotional experience than an intellectual one. As students from all years ponder their States of Becoming for the 2024–25 school year, these 17 artists from across the African diaspora have much to offer from their experiences crafting identity in a new place.
