During a calm moment this week, I had an interesting chat with Beth about different cultures, and whether someone who is not a part of a culture could be qualified to represent it. We explored a few important points, like the risks of misrepresentation, cultural appropriation, and the challenges of gleaning a full understanding of the history and background that brings about a culture.
There are artists who only discuss their own experiences, such as Tracey Emin whose work always has an autobiographical element, and this is valid. Personally I believe it’s okay to represent other cultures in certain situations. We need to think about how we can represent it in a factually correct way, and how much knowledge would be needed to do so. For example, in the case of historical cultures, a proportion of this knowledge may not be available. I don’t think this should prevent us from creating work about it, however I do think it is our responsibility to ensure that anything we are presenting as fact should be correct. For current cultures, this is even more important.
We need to ensure we are respectful of the culture. Inaccurate representation can be more harmful than no representation at all. If we are outside of the community in question, it is important to gain feedback from them. If this is not done, we would not know if we are representing their viewpoints correctly or talking over them, however good our intentions may be.
We should also consider how best to represent the culture to our audience. Immersing yourself in the culture may be a good way to gain insight, however it could prove more authentic to show it in your own voice, from an outside perspective. Should the background of our intended audience determine how we present the work or explain the culture?
In general, I think it can be acceptable to represent other cultures, as long as there is a focus on respect, accuracy, and gaining feedback.