Can art bridge across geographies and gaps of knowledge?What connects Sápmi, Surinam and Switzerland? How do Christianity and Vodun intersect? Do Karen Blixen and Fidel Castro share common beliefs? What might seem far removed, share close bonds when we look beyond national and historic divisions.
The publication BAT: Bridging Art + Text, just released by Hurricane Publishing, looks into complex historical and current connections across the globe presenting international artists, scholars, curators and writers in 3 volumes of 800+ pages. The book, curated and edited by Michelle Eistrup, presents contemporary artists born or based in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and the US creating an insight into aesthetics not often presented in Scandinavia.
The first volume shows connections between art, performance and religion. In the second volume, artists and writers deal with racism as well as the omission of voice and identity. The third volume gathers artists and writers who actively critique history and its influence on present times.
The transfer of cultural and spiritual knowledge from Africa across the Atlantic and further towards Europe show the potential and strength of maintaining a shared cultural heritage. The strength of bridging creates ways of facing racism and prejudice and seeing old and new connections.
