Ethnics of Surrealism Edwards, Brent

¶ … Ethnics of Surrealism

Edwards, Brent Hayes. The Ethnics of Surrealism. Transition, No. 78, 84-135

[Thesis] Hayes' article is a scholarly, critical, occasionally esoteric review of publications and journals representing surrealism and audacity in art, complete with bold, sometimes outrageous contrasts between white vs. black, the grotesque vs. ordinary, ethnography juxtaposed with Western artistic genres; the narrative is presented eloquently from the point-of-view of an intellectually inclined African-American professor of literature and art who condemns bias whether subtle or obvious.

[Summary] Woven into the piece and between the lines like a tapestry is Hayes' brilliance as a critic of cultural ignorance, racial stereotypes, racism, and words that misjudge Africans (like "primitive" and "negritude"). Hayes' mistrust of ethnic discourse from other critics who fail to correctly link surrealism and the black experience is brought out in narrative that rarely is blatantly attacking but always pecking away. Throughout the long piece Hayes educates the reader about publications that feature surrealism and ethnicity -- and he contributes substantial information about the essayists and critics who comment on the art and photography that is part of the publications. Through his rich historical narrative and use of juxtaposition vis-a-vis grotesque photos, bold art images and ethnographic realism, Hayes demands strict attention to what he is presenting. Professor Hayes offers great detail on Georges Bataille's surrealist journal called Documents. Through descriptions of the fifteen issues of Documents (published in Paris between 1929 and 1930) Hayes offers readers definitions and descriptions that relate to art and ethnicity in a way that jolt the senses. That is intentional. When framed next to art that startles (like dead flies squished on a sticky flypaper), Hayes' presentation is vividly original and compelling. But he can be cryptic and subtly caustic as well. The use of stark images -- some sexually themed, some racially themed -- grabs the attention of the reader's brain and imbeds the images for later recall. Among the most dramatic images Hayes presents is the scene where black boxer Al Brown -- in the ring to raise money for the Dakar-Djibouti expedition to Africa -- sees French guards at all four corners of the ring "…as though Brown's pugilistic prowess were some savage ritual on display" (86).