I made it- last Monday we had our last guest lecture in my art research class. This week, we had the opportunity to hear from Murtaza Vali, a painter, art historian, and freelance critic. Vali’s presentation was actually very unique, as it spoke mainly about the artistic concept of abstraction rather than a bunch of works from individual artists (though there was some of that). 

The presentation, entitled Other Abstraction, was very conceptual. The “Other” referenced in the title refers to anything that is not the self, or in the concept of colonialism- the underlying context of the abstraction Vali explores- anything rejected by Western society and history as not it’s own. Within the context of colonialism, abstraction has by and large been claimed to be a Western invention. Through Vali’s research, he has recognized the falsehoods of this claim. The power that colonial powers had (and still have) over the global South has not only claimed superiority over the region’s art and culture, but disenfranchised it to the point of “the Other”. It’s also why mainstream art history classes generally only cover Western and European art, whereas the art of oppressed cultures is put in it’s own classes that are deemed less-important.

In combating this, Vali uses his work and ideas to decolonize art, to “level the playing field”. His approach has many parts- from analyzing and combating stigma in art to decolonizing museums. Vali showed us a lot of comparisons between similar artists/works, including Jackson Pollock and Norman Lewis, Sol Lewitt and Rasheed Areen, and Kazimir Malevisch and Byron Kim among others. Through post-colonial theory and historical thought, Vali spoke a lot about how non-Western artists were generally shunned, despite the originality of their work.

This, with his other examinations of abstract minimalist art, are great steps for the causes of recognition and decolonization. By combating myths and showing the the works of disenfranchised artists, Vali and his contemporaries are presenting art in an entirely new way that helps the audience shed their preconceived notions about abstract art. This is definitely a field of art that will grow as society becomes more aware of the big picture of art and history.