The work of black creatives seems to always get undermined in one way or another, and that's what this new generation is actively changing by speaking up. We aren't accepting group categorization and group classifications to describe our work anymore - it just leads to group dismissal.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the need for recognition and individual identity among black creatives, rejecting stereotypes and categorizations.
Kerby Jean-Raymond highlights the struggle faced by black creatives whose work has often been dismissed or undermined due to societal categorization. He asserts that the new generation is challenging these labels by voicing their unique experiences and contributions, advocating for individual recognition rather than being defined by a collective identity that leads to the undervaluation of their art.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech addressing the importance of individual artistic expression.
Think about how much fashion profits from black culture and how underrepresented we are in the industry. If you insist on using black celebrities to peddle your merchandise and add a cool factor to your front row, it is indecent to not care about the plights of that person's community.
Is the 'black designer' label there to warn everyone not to have the same level of expectations for me, or is it some type of prize? I just want to work in an even playing field where I can get press for my work and not just my race and my personal views on it.
Painting is neither decorative amusement, nor the plastic invention of felt reality; it must be every time: invention, discovery, revelation.
In all the creative work that I have done, what has come first is a problem, a puzzle involving discomfort.
I also started writing songs because I had this burning activity in my heart and had to express myself.
I've always been a character actor, although I'm not quite sure what that means. All my scripts are absolutely covered in notes, so any time I say anything - even 'pass the salt' - I have six subtexts, comments on what I really mean when I'm saying that. Maybe that's what gives the impression that I'm saying one thing and thinking something else.
A drawing is an autobiographical record of one's discovery of an event - either seen, remembered or imagined. A 'finished' work is an attempt to construct an event in itself.
I find that when I write, I need things to be quiet, but when I design, I can't bear it if it's quiet.
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