The multiplicity of multiplicities – Post-Black Art and its intricacies

Blackness was and is en vogue[2] in the beginning of the 21st century, not only in popular culture[3] but also in the arts. This article aims to explore the difficulties and intricacies of the idea of post-black[4] art and its curatorial legacy, which was introduced as a curatorial concept in 2001. Additionally, it examines the option of opening up the debate into a wider discourse of identity politics, their various meanings, limitations and promises for the contemporary. The article is framed by a series of questions that are fundamental to understanding the complexity of the idea of post-black.[5] I will foreground the discussion with the general considerations ‘What is post-black art?’ and ‘What is meant by ‘black’ in post-black art?’ Next I will examine the circumstances that have lead to the introduction of post-black art. Connected to this question is the query 'why now?', because post-black as a concept has not only provoked a discussion of identity formation in art-practice but also in the US national debate about Blackness[6] – the arrival of this debate in Europe is marked by the current issue of darkmatter.