Esmaa Mohamoud
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Occupation(s) | Sculptor and installation artist |
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Esmaa Mohamoud, also known as "E," (born 25 November 1992) is an African-Canadian
amongst others.Mohamoud grew up with four brothers, in which she was constantly made aware of
Selected works
One of the Boys (2017–2018)
From 2017–2018, Mohamoud collaborated with Qendrim Hoti to create and photograph sculptures designed to be worn by black, male-presenting models.[14] In One of the Boys, men and women wear custom-made ball gown jerseys, thus pointing to gender fluidity and race through their use of fashion. Mohamoud uses Vince Carter's Raptors jerseys for the top half of the gown and the bottom half is a beautiful puffy dress. The jersey itself is not of the usual sports mesh, but is made of velvet and contains corset lacings on both sides an allusion to basketball through the use of shoelaces and to high fashion through the use of corseted tops. Some of the models can be seen wearing jewelry such as earrings, rings, necklaces, colorful hair ties, braids, and tattoos. Amanda Parris points out that some of the models in this series face away from the camera or conversely they stare directly at it, something Mohamoud terms the "power stance."[15]
Fashion and body language work in this piece works in tandem to create a harmonious balance between femininity and masculinity.[16] This balance of feminine and masculine objects and poise convey the overarching theme of gender fluidity depicted on and through black, male bodies. Mohamoud's design of the jersey and the ballgown is meant to convey gender fluidity in a way in which it is difficult for viewers to categorize the subject of the photographs in a binary fashion. The Raptors jersey itself is meant to symbolize masculinity, as athleticism is usually thought to be masculine, and the ballgowns are meant to symbolize femininity.[15]
The title of the series, One of the Boys, is derived from the artist's personal experiences.[17] Mohamoud recalls her mother requiring that she wear a dress when she wanted to play basketball with the neighborhood boys. Mohamoud stated that she wore a dress and put a Raptors jersey on top to which her mother reprimanded, "you are not one of the boys."[17] Mohamoud reflects on what this statement meant to her during her childhood when tension existed between her wanting to play basketball like Vince Carter and her societal obligation to align herself with feminine ideals.[17] One of the Boys is meant to dissipate this tension Mohamoud felt throughout her childhood and the tension that many others, specifically young, black men may feel.
One of the Boys explores and exposes how black male bodies and notions of masculinity have been shaped and viewed by society.
Through this series, Mohamoud attempts to combat pervasive associations of black male bodies with hypermasculinity, violence, and ruggedness, by engaging the models in hyper-feminine clothes and poses. The artist recalls that many people in her hometown of London, Canada were fearful of blackness as Black people, particularly Black men, are perceived in violet light.[20] Author and activist, bell hooks, has acknowledged in her book, We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity, the long-standing belief that black men are the embodiment of violence and aggression, stating "read any article or book on black masculinity and it will convey the message that Black men are violent."[21] This image of violence can be dangerous for black men as they navigate their way through the world.[21] To counter this, Mohamoud attempts to offer black men the freedom of gender fluidity. By clothing black, male models in velvet gowns, Mohamoud shields them with the notion that black men can too possess the ability to be fragile and soft.[22]
Through her art, Mohamoud brings awareness to a current and problematic view of black masculinity in order to shift it and reclaim it as her own through subversion of gender norms, "power stances," and the use of bell hooks' the "oppositional gaze."[23]
Heavy, Heavy (Hoop Dreams) (2016)
In 2016, Esmaa Mohamoud displayed Heavy, Heavy (Hoop Dreams) as part of her Interdisciplinary Master's in Art, Media, and Design Program.[12] Heavy, Heavy (Hoop Dreams) consists of 60 deflated concrete basketballs in a grid on the floor. The original piece was supposed to have 30 basketballs, the amount of first-round picks in the NBA, but Mohamoud settled on 60 basketballs as it filled up more space and is the number of second-round picks for the NBA.[11]
Mohamoud uses concrete to show the heaviness and fragileness that comes from people relying on getting scouted by the NBA .[11] The artist ensures that the concrete basketballs will crack and fall apart as it symbolizes the disappearance of a future career.[11]
The title is influenced by Hoop Dreams, a documentary following black boys who never made it to the NBA.[24] Mohamoud added the Heavy Heavy as a reference to the disappointment black boys feel when they are not scouted for the NBA.[13]
References
- ^ a b "Georgia Scherman Projects". georgiascherman.com. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ "Here We Are Here: Black Canadian Contemporary Art". Royal Ontario Museum. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ "Esmaa Mohamoud". Arts Against PostRacialism. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ "Canadian Artist Esmaa Mohamoud Confronts Injustice and Her Critics". S/ magazine. 2018-07-09. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ "Every. Now. Then: Reframing Nationhood". Art Gallery of Ontario. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ "Esmaa Mohamoud: #000000 Violence". OCAD University. 2016-03-29. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ "thedrakeblog". thedrakeblog. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ "14 Emerging Women Artists to Watch in 2017". artnet News. 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ Walsh, Meeka; Enright, Robert (18 August 2020). "Esmaa Mohamoud: Game Changer". Border Crossings. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "Esmaa Mohamoud". Light Grows the Tree. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ a b c d "Sports Culture Is The Catalyst For Esmaa Mohamoud's Art". The Fader. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ a b "Esmaa Mohamoud: "My practice is unapologetically black and industrial"". OCAD University. 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ a b Reeve, Charles (25 February 2019). "How Artist Esmaa Mohamoud Reveals the Dark Heart of American Athletics". Frieze (201). Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ Newell-Hanson, Alice; Loiseau, Benoit (2017-12-15). "meet the artist who dresses basketball players in ball gowns". I-D. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ a b c Parris, Amanda (July 20, 2017). "Why Esmaa Mohamoud is bringing blackness and basketball into the gallery". CBC. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
- ^ "This Artist Takes Masculinity To A Different Level By Making Basketball Ball GOWNS For Players!". veri-art.net. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ a b c "YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- .
- ^ OCLC 53284925.
- JSTOR 40133708.
- ^ )
- ^ "The Art of Esmaa Mohamoud". RedMilk. 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- OCLC 25281874.
- ProQuest 2471844781– via ProQuest Central.