The unveiling of the Obamas’ portraits provided an opportunity for under-represented populations to see themselves in spaces from which they’re so often excluded. The event was remarkable for a multitude of reasons, including that the paintings were the first presidential portraits commissioned by Black artists - Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald that they fit into an all-white historical context and that they represent rare examples - like the “Apeshit” video - of Black people being heralded in predominantly white spaces. However, while the Carters’ accomplishment underscores the egregious lack of representation and audiences of people of color in art spaces, it also perpetuates the damaging notion that art is a luxury.Įarlier this year, the former US President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama nearly broke the internet when their official portraits were unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery. The music video is a true feast for the eyes as beautiful people take over a beautiful place in ways we’ve never seen - because people of color rarely have the opportunity to claim such spaces, a fact that adds to the extraordinariness of the couple’s feat. The couple, duly proud of their feat, proclaim repeatedly throughout “Apeshit,” “I can’t believe we made it,” while celebrating and contemplating their range of accomplishments in the most hallowed of European halls. It was an extraordinary feat: a top-secret mission to shoot a music video in one of the most prestigious museums in the world - a space where the art is incalculably valuable and security is tight. The mission was seamlessly accomplished by pop culture superheroes Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Beyoncé and Jay-Z in front of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in the video for “Apeshit” (all screenshots by Hyperallergic via YouTube)
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