Dr. Nettrice R. Gaskins, Boston Arts Academy
“Kongo and Yoruba
cosmology (indicates) a
connection to and contiguity
with the spirituality of
African continental space.”
Artists, particularly in Afrofuturism, re-contextualize and assess history and
imagine the future of the African Diaspora via science, science fiction, technology,
sound, performance... and their own world views.
ORIGIN MYTHOLOGIES
Kalunga is Kikongo for “threshold between worlds” and is often associated with
the Atlantic Ocean. The Kalunga line is a line under the Atlantic Ocean where the
living became the dead and the only way back to life was to re-cross the line.
KALUNGA (WATER) LINE
(Cosmograms) have been
evident in West African
cultures and have been
elaborated upon, showing
complex intricate patterns or
simplified into abbreviated
X’s, or even V’s implying an
arc of travel or motion.
CROSSROADS
Afrofuturist art resonates
with P-funk’s Funkentelechy,
or a sense of completeness
or utopia. These works re-
position or direct the
viewer/listener to ensure that
everyone is on ‘the One.’
FUNKENTELECHY
Image Credits:
Jean Michel-Basquiat. “King Alphonso,” 1983.
Kikongo Cosmogram. Courtesy Duane Deterville and SFMoMA.
Ellen Gallagher. “La Chinoise, (detail)” 2008.
Kahlil Joseph, with Flying Lotus. “Until the Quiet Comes (still),” 2012.
Maxwell. “Embrya,” 1998.
Parliament. “Motor Booty Affair (inner cover),” 1978.
Sanford Biggers, with David Ellis. “Mandala of the B-Bodhisattva II,” 2000.
Brides of Frankenstein. “Funk or Walk,” 1978.
Xenobia Bailey. “Sister Paradise's Apron (detail),” 2000.
Saya Woolfalk. “ChimaTek,” 2014.
Jean Michel-Basquiat. “Tuxedo,” 1983.
QUESTIONS
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