Spectrum Of Visibility

GAP Window | Globe Art Point | Helsinki | 2024

'Spectrum Of Visibility,' encapsulates a journey through perceptual experiences, profoundly influenced by my academic and professional pursuits. Initially introduced to the Ishihara test while studying under Gérard Pelé at the Centre de Recherche sur l'Image (CRI) at the École des Arts, Sorbonne, and later required to pass my medical tests as a pilot, this tool's fusion of scientific observation and visual intrigue inspired my artistic exploration. The term 'Spectrum of Visibility,' drawn from my studies in photointerpretation, refers to the range of observable data across different wavelengths of light, crucial for interpreting satellite imagery and aerial photography. These multifaceted experiences, combining art, science, and aviation, inform the unique visual language of this exhibition.

In 'Spectrum Of Visibility: People of Colour,' the series employs iconic test patterns, traditionally used to diagnose red-green colour deficiencies, to present a layered commentary on visibility, inclusion, and recognition of people of colour, specifically within the socio-political landscape of Nordic countries. The words ‘People of Colour’ emerge and recede within these patterns, thereby materialising as a metaphor for the fluctuating visibility and recognition that people of colour experience in predominantly “white” societies.

These test patterns, introduced by Dr. Shinobu Ishihara in his 1917 work, Tests for Colour-Blindness, act as a critical vehicle in this series. Originally a tool for distinguishing ‘normal’ colour vision from ‘deficient’, these patterns are repurposed here to illuminate the systemic and pervasive nature of ‘othering’. By applying these test plates, the series interrogates the criteria by which societal ‘norms’ are established and challenges the viewer to confront their own perceptual biases and conditioned ways of seeing.

Exploring the philosophical aspects, it is essential to consider the existential discourse surrounding visibility and the recognition of the ‘Other’. Jean-Paul Sartre, in 'L’Être et le Néant: Essai d’ontologie phénoménologique' (Being and Nothingness) (1943), posits that one’s awareness and internalisation of being perceived by another can fundamentally shape one’s sense of self. In this series, the ‘gaze’—that of the viewer upon the art and the implied gaze of society upon individuals of colour—is rendered visible through the patterns. This evokes a Sartrean ‘look’ of society that can alienate and objectify, reducing complex identities to simple stereotypes or invisibility.

Building on this philosophical inquiry, Franz Fanon’s 'Peau noire, masques blancs' (Black Skin, White Masks) (1952) offers a poignant examination of the visibility and invisibility experienced by people of colour under the weight of colonialism and racial prejudice. Fanon reveals how societal recognition often forces individuals into roles that suppress their authentic identities, highlighting the psychological toll of striving for visibility in a world that marginalises based on race. This perspective bridges existential concerns with the tangible impacts of racial dynamics, enriching the discourse on visibility within the socio-political landscape.

Nordic countries, often globally praised for their high living standards and egalitarian societies, are critically examined for the implicit and explicit biases that exist beneath this façade. In contexts where ethnic homogeneity has historically been the norm, the increasing multicultural fabric is sometimes overlooked or even resisted, rendering some citizens ‘invisible’.

The series draws on the metaphor of visibility as a form of societal acknowledgement and existence, as Ralph Ellison discusses in 'Invisible Man' (1952). Ellison’s protagonist is ‘invisible’ because people refuse to see him, reflective of the systemic ignorance and denial that prevents marginalised groups from being perceived as equal members of society.

In conclusion, 'Spectrum Of Visibility: People of Colour' is not a simple statement on inequity in Nordic societies. It is a call for self-examination, an interrogation of ‘normative’ standards, and an urge for societal structures to acknowledge and challenge the perpetuation of ‘invisibility’. This series destabilises the binary of ‘normal’ and ‘other’, seeking a reevaluation of who is seen, who is overlooked, and the criteria by which these determinations are made.

— Mohamed Louanjli in Helsinki, 2024.

Curated by Globe Art Point, Alexandra Kollerová and Emma Clear.