Full Description
Take care of yourself. How many times a week do we hear or say these words? If we all took the time to care for ourselves, how much stronger will we be? More importantly how much stronger will our communities be? In Take Care of Your Self, Iraqi artist and curator Sundus Abdul Hadi turns a critical and inventive eye on the notion of self-care, rejecting the idea that self-care means buying stuff and recasting it as a collective practice rooted in the liberation struggles of the oppressed. Throughout, Abdul Hadi explores the role of art in fostering healing for those affected by racism, war, and displacement, weaving in the artwork of twenty-seven artists of color from diverse backgrounds to identify the points where these struggles intersect. In centering the voices of those often relegated to the margins of the art world and emphasizing the imperative to create safe spaces for artists of color to explore their complicated reactions to oppression, Abdul Hadi casts self-care as a political act rooted in the impulse toward self-determination, empowerment, and healing that animates the work of artists of color across the world.
Contents
Foreword, by Emily Jacir
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: Knowledge of Self
Roots / Al-nafs / On Being Iraqi / New Word Order
Chapter 2: Decolonizing Care
On Care / On Teachers / Approach with Caution / The Role of the Artist
Chapter 3: Decolonizing the Art World
We Are The Medium / The Industry / Breaking Down the Walls / Interventions / Me, We, Muhammad Ali / Minister of Culture: Emory Douglas / Narratives 63
The Living Room:
Images and Words by the Artists (w/ color plates)
Poetry
"Ode To Myself" // Soukayna
"Women Pt. 1" // Jessica Powless
"Untitled" // Teeanna Munro
Chapter 4: Curating Care
Care-full Curation / Curating as Artist-Curator / Intentionality / Ceremony / The Stories in Between / Shim El Yasmine [Smell the Jasmine] / Poetry / "Taking Care of Us": The Workshop
Chapter 5: Space
Safe(r) Space? / The Challenges We Face / Behind the Scenes / Take Space, Make Space
Conclusion
Epilogue: Care and the Pandemic
Appendix: #Arabs4BlackPower Statement / Take Care of Your Self CuratorialStatement
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Glossary
Index
About the Artists
About the Author
About We Are The Medium
