Beyond Literature: Toni Morrison’s Musical and Visual Legacy For Black Women Artists

Rocío Cobo-Piñero

doi:10.14198/fem.2022.40.02

Autores/as

Rocío Cobo-Piñero Universidad de Sevilla, España https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3814-7799

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14198/fem.2022.40.02

Palabras clave:

Toni Morrison, música, arte visual, interdisciplinaridad, mujeres negras, interseccionalidad

Resumen

El objetivo de este artículo es analizar la influencia de Toni Morrison en la música y las artes visuales, hasta ahora poco estudiada. En 1994, Morrison fundó el Atelier en la Universidad de Princeton, un programa interdisciplinar para apoyar las artes y fomentar colaboraciones entre artistas y estudiantes de distintas disciplinas. Asimismo, Morrison demostró su maestría en géneros literarios y artísticos muy diversos que incluyen la autoría de novelas, relatos, libros infantiles, crítica literaria, canciones, además de los guiones de un musical y una obra de teatro. Teniendo en cuenta esta relación interdisciplinar de la propia autora con su obra, la primera parte del artículo explora las respuestas musicales a la producción artística de Morrison, con especial énfasis en las mujeres negras; ejemplos de ello son la rapera Akua Naru, la cantante de neo-soul India Arie y la vocalista y compositora Janelle Monáe. La manera en que Morrison representa en su obra la complejidad de las relaciones interseccionales entre el género, la raza y la clase social a lo largo de la historia de Estados Unidos también ha inspirado a artistas visuales. En este sentido, la segunda parte del artículo analiza las creaciones de las artistas afroestadounidenses Kara Walker, Lorna Simpson y Amy Sherald. La forma en que Morrison ha sido capaz de articular la diversidad de identidades afrodescendientes también produce una respuesta creativa al otro lado del Atlántico a través de Lubaina Himid, artista africana afincada en Gran Bretaña y primera mujer negra en ganar el prestigioso Premio Turner en 2017.

Financiación

VPPI-US postdoctoral contract from the University of Seville and the projects FFI2017-84555-C2-2-P Bodies in Transit 2 and Embodiments, Genders and Difference, Cultural Practices of Violence and Discrimination (Ref. 1252965, Junta de Andalucía/FEDER).

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