Resisting Ontology: Frantz Fanon and Black Identity
(Left) Portrait of Frantz Fanon. Source unknown. (Right) Madison Cooper, Monique (detail), 2021. 36 x 48 in. (91.4 x 121.9 cm). Image courtesy of the artist.
The exhibition (Untitled) Fanon draws inspiration from the literary work of Frantz Fanon (1925–1961), a renowned Black psychiatrist and philosopher who made significant contributions to postcolonial theory and critical studies in the twentieth century. In this lecture, Dr. Patrick Walter (faculty, African and African Diaspora Studies Department) discusses Fanon’s life, work, and legacy, then joins artist Madison Cooper for a conversation surrounding Fanon’s writings as they relate to her work in the exhibition.
(Untitled) Fanon is on view September 24 - December 3, 2021.
Bios
Madison Cooper lives and studies in Austin, Texas. Cooper is currently a fourth-year BFA Studio Art student at The University of Texas at Austin. Her work has been included in group exhibitions at The Museum of Color, Austin (2020) and Big Medium, Austin (2019). She has also participated in the Cohen New Works Festival at UT Austin (2021) and exhibited work in Hear and Now, a drive-through exhibition organized by Center Space Project for TEDxUTAustin (2021). Most recently, Cooper was a Summer 2021 fellow at the Ox-Bow School of Art.
Dr. Patrick Walter is a lecturer of the Department of African and African Diaspora Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. His research and teachings primarily focus on African American literature and popular culture while also extending to incorporations of media and film studies. His interests also extend to Marxism and psychoanalysis.