- a discussion about stereotypes, entertainment and strategies of Anti-Racism.

UTMÄRKT Kulturnyheterna feat. två 2FACED1s; min gamle klasskamrat och Kim + organisatören Nathan ang. paneldiskussionen, nya voguing filmen "Leave It On The Floor", Tribunal 12 idag.

-  Makode Linde, real anti-racism, stereotypophobia, and how one type of slavery is just exchanged to another type of slavery - that's what greedy capitalism will do to us.

We have a Minister of Culture in Sweden that has no problem with cutting up a cake of a stereotype blackface character - the ultimate colonial symbol of the view on “the others”.

Why? Because she is a racist? No. But she probably don’t know the history of the blackface, what a Minstrel is, but what she first and foremost don’t know is exactly HOW extremely un-equal, racist and sexist this post-colonial society still is, just like most Swedes...I would say just like the main part of the whole Western world. Cause we all are eating from that cake in one or the other way.

Alright she was caught up in the moment, it's just a cake and you can’t label her as a straight up racist or anything because of cutting up a cake, but it does says something about being unaware even if it takes place in a country with a different history than the one that created the original blackface. And let me remind you that this is a Minister of Culture we're talking about.

Same Minister of Culture, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, who openly suggested that instead of the word “Culture” we should use “Entertainment”. To not get kicked out from the position after such a thing is enough to explain what state of mind the Swedish government is in, concerning the matter Culture.

She’s there to represent the people of Sweden, via a democratic selection. She is supposed to represent me and my friends that comes in all colors and sizes. I’d say all the people in my sphere, the 2FACED1, are more or less familiar with these blackface stereotypes, we are schooled via a collective Pop Culture. A Pop Culture that as it’s best educates in something else than what the establishment call proper knowledge and unites us with people around the world via the same references. BUT at it worst; reproduce and sell us the same stereotypes that was connected to the original blackface character: in example blackness as inherent musicality, natural athleticism and strong sexulity. So you better check yourself even if you don't think you have something in common with Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth politically.

And it’s here where the Artist behind the Painful Cake, Makode Linde, comes in. From what I have learned about his work so far, It's about real anti-racism and stereotypophobia, the thesis one type of slavery is just exchanged to another type of slavery. That is what greedy capitalism will do to you. And me. Keep/start acting like a stereotype and it will be happy - cause then it will know what you want to buy, before you know it yourself. You buy, you are.

The exotified image of black man and woman (I don't think I need to tell anyone that reads this blog that Sweden nowadays is far from all-white) is well alive in Sweden, and honestly pretty much all over the western world. It might sometimes be a pretty positive one compared to the old ones, it can even be something that you as a person with darker skin can benefit from. That’s why it doesn’t go away. It’s a quick fix response, that keep the system intact. And you are not free to be who you want to.

To have this awareness and take yourself to a position in Sweden where you can stage the situation that took place at MOMA Stockholm on the Sunday ( - that might lead to the Minister of Culture’s resignation) is purely an act of genius. It's a wild way to do it, cause it's so steep that some people will choose to misunderstand it, and it's a risk the Artist take.

Makode Linde’s cake has so many layers. it’s as unpleasant to watch as the society we are living in is minus the sugercoating. The cut up cake vagina could put the spot light in so many directions:


The post-colonial world 2012:

- In what state is the whole African continent compared it to the Western world? (as in areas, geographically speaking, think BNP, are the resorces allocated equaly?)

- Who's feasting on who?

- Is it with that in mind a nice gesture to take in immigrants, or a responsibility?

- Does poverty, war, famine, lack of education lead to the keeping of traditions such as circumcision?

- Is circumcision a part of an "African" culture or is it a certain part of a global oppression of women?

- What's  black womens situation in the (different context in) world today?

- Has any country in Europe yet had an black president?


The Transnational Pop Cultural Arena (2FACED1 world):

- Who has the right to analyze black American culture?

- Should it be considered only as black American culture today?

- Why has American culture such a huge impact on the rest of the world?

- What is the connection between capitalism and that American culture?

- Is Makode a privileged Swede?

- Does using simple pop cultural aesthetics mean bad art?

- Are there people without tools to analyze the whole event, that will get offended and scared by it?

- Does Makode’s own skin color matter in this work?

- How?

- What's it like to grow up like a black person (or any other non-norm) in Sweden (also -compered to the country your from?)?

- Him as a man using a female body instead of a male body, is it explotation or is it  showing awarness of the current structure?

- Has a man once again interpretative prerogative over a woman?

- Would the symbolism be as strong if he would have used a male body (to be cut up by a woman?)

- How will sharing a photo of the cake taken from it’s context affect the online viewer?

- Has the viewer a responsibility to seek out the context?

- Has the sender a responsibility to get the context out?

- Does country borders define your Identity?


Swedish National Political Arena:

- The current Swedish government - what does their political agenda look like when it comes to culture?
(Picture: The Minister cut up the cake and feeds the Artist with him/herself)

- Who does this Minister of Culture represent?

- Is there anything good about an art installation like this being possible in Sweden?

- Why is it nearly an all-white, (probby) middle class audience in the photos?

- Who is the expected audience?

- The spectators: white middle aged (probby) middle class women might not be aware of the history of Minstrel shows, but are they the BIG problem in this situation? They actually are at an art event, does that mean that they are open for new knowledge?

- The ones in power position except the Minister of Culture, are they at this event?

- But if the audience here really care about culture, should they just smile and eat cake (even if it’s an ordinary one) with a person that might not share the same ideas of the importance of culture?

- Does issues like the one the Painful Cake treat, get enough attention in Sweden?

- Is Sweden better or worse than any other country?

- How much do you take part of Swedish politics?

- Does country borders define your identity?

To be added in all categories; mechanisms of being in a group, where no one really take the responsibility.

Art comes before politics, it's a tool to touch the really, really hard questions politicans won't touch. Real art raises uncomfortable questions.

Mie's parents are both from NYC, she's born there but brought up mainly in Japan, has also been living in Denmark and has now recently moved to Stockholm. A 2FACED1 - certainly yes!

I've told you before, it can't go wrong! I'm talking about when one meet up with 2FACED1- friend's friends. So also this time, Tiffany tried to link us up when I was in Tokyo a year ago, it didn't happen then because of various circumstances. But then a year later, voilà; Mie moves to Stockholm! We had dinner and talked and talked about 2FACED1-ness, other-ness, transntational-ness and all inbetween. And Mie's told me of her parents, they are definitely two original 2FACED1s, hearing about them, the Afro-American / Jewish-American couple that traveled the world and settled in Japan and Denmark, was truly amazing. I wish I could meet them, and you know what, now I just did:

Above is a little short film of when Mie's parents visit Mie's sister Lila in New York, another insight in the life of the 2FACED1s!

Internet got possibilities you don't even know about yet. Here we have a brand new parallel world that yes mirrors the society it's founded in in many aspects, but does first and foremost contain a whole other spectra of opportunity due to it's inherent structure. The most beautiful part of this structure is how fast information and knowledge can be shared, and how accessible information now is. Knowledge is power. Considering that; do you think it's strange that the ones with the power in today's society are scared to death right now and tries to blackout the ACTA-agreement? Everything just got turned upside down.

What does that mean to us: Here is the possibility to start over, making things that got wrong right. Imaging Internet as a parallel society where the same hierarchies hasn't been set  - yet. Therefor it is, for every norm criticizing person who focus on real equality (everyone is equal regardless of ethnicity, class, gender and sexuality), extremely important to defend internet and the open flow of information, cause there you have it - YOUR FUTURE.

Prostest against ACTA today 12.00 Sergels Torg - see you there!

Add to that a tool that can sum up statistics, collect and sort out massive amounts of people's collective knowledge. Brilliant Open Source ideas like Wikipedia is just the beginning of it, just imaging what the Internet could do for (real) democracy used the right way! You should defend it like it's your new born baby!