Black Maple: Exploring the Diasporic Aesthetic of New Toronto Artists Yannick Anton, Taiwo Bah, and Nabi Shash

In: https://digitalcollections.saic.edu/islandora/object/islandora%3Athesis_13277

Open Access

Abstract

In looking at the photography projects of Yannick Anton, Taiwo Bah, and Nabil Shash, this paper attempts to highlight Black artistic practices emanating from Canada. To a large extent, these photographers' subject matter and context of production are a reflection of the position of Black people in Canada. These artists' images are fraught with the social and political experiences affecting young people living in Toronto. Their artwork speaks to the ways in which Black Torontonians from a range of ethno-cultural origins, sexual orientations, ages, and experiences perform their identities. Therefore, this study uses "diaspora" as a framework for socio-historical and artistic analysis. Diaspora enables a socio-historical reading of negated Black identities and experiences in Canada via the subjects of Anton's, Bah's and Shash's images. Additionally, the diasporic method challenges the category of contemporary art by focusing on these photographers' vernacular aesthetic.