ARABA MERCER BANSON

What does blackness mean to you?
Blackness doesn’t exist, I believe it is a social construct- created by white supremacists with the purpose of characterising qualities of black people for the sole purpose of creating notions of superiority amongst those lacking in those decided characteristics. To be black is what I tick on the consensus questionnaire, but I do not exist as whatever made-up meaning has been forcibly ascribed to my existence. Understanding blackness from this perspective suggests that the qualities of one person can be shared with another of a different race, and that is the case. People who are black are called Oreos because of how they present, people who are white feel it's appropriate to call themselves Wiggas.
Blackness is another way to divide society, another way to destroy the cohesion of black people. I wonder if white people address their whiteness or Asian people address their Asianness.
Blackness is a race-based disability.

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What is your view on how blackness is curated and represented in contemporary British exhibitions?

I do not believe this is possible as blackness does not exist, therefore any deliberately curated show of blackness really frustrates me as all I see are repeated notions of what is apparently expected of a black person. Often there is no dialogue on the fact that an interpretation is not the same as a fact and that the colour of a person's skin has nothing to do with what they produce.

For example, in a newspaper, they do not have a black section. Information is not segregated based on the origin of the writer but based on the topic and subject which can be explored across race with an openness to expressing the biases of the writer's interpretation.

I often think okay what about this is supposed to be engaging or relevant when I see spaces curated/relating to/for/about black people.

It reminds me of a human zoo. A fetishisation or tokenistic perception of what a nigger made. Let's all clap for the talented black people.

I do not remember the last time I went to a Polish exhibition or themed event at the Tate, spotlighting the achievement of a particular race of people in a white institution is a bit disgusting. Why must we want their recognition on a platform dedicated to us...

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What curatorial methods might you already use?

Research, interpretation, design, programme production.

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What does ethical curation mean to you and is this something you’re concerned with?

Ethical curation to me is working within a personal framework where I acknowledge my biases, the biases of institutions and the barriers to engagement, and dissolve the limitations which amplify the ills of society which I believe we all have a responsibility to dismantle.

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What are some of the issues you have faced around curating race, or issues you could experience?

The main issue I have faced in curating race is that different people have an understanding of what it means to be of a particular background. Therefore everyone enters the space with their agenda/what success would mean. In arts institutions, there is a lot of softness but something lacking is the ability for people to accept that they are wrong, due to hierarchy of power in the working world.

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Have you faced any challenges with engaging with the black communities in a professional capacity?

I feel that the art world wants to engage with black communities but doesn’t actually understand what a black community looks or sounds like. Therefore spatial infrastructure and programmes are often tone-deaf.

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How could curation around race be improved in large British institutions?

Conducting research during events and co-producing with audience responses in mind is the best way to curate with race in mind. This means the act of production is an ongoing process, and not necessarily a one time situation with a fits all approach.