The “Vessels of Genealogies” Painting by Firelei Baez

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Missing Consideration of Non-White Women
False Perception of Intersectionality in Society
Representing Identity Through Intersectionality
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Feminist theories that deal with discrimination and prejudice against women address various aspects of the female experience of male dominance. In the context of distinctive approaches to the interpretation of these concepts in art and media, the manifestations of certain ideas depend on the views that authors pursue. As an example demonstrating one of these approaches, the painting “Vessels of Genealogies” by Firelei Baez will be considered. In this work, the author reflects the theory of intersectionality in feminism, which is based on the intersection of different manifestations of discrimination and does not imply assessing the problem within the framework of a single experience. In particular, Firelei Baez’s painting shows the problem of the missing of race in feminism, when the racial identity of women is ignored, and focuses on the significance of this phenomenon in the modern world.

Missing Consideration of Non-White Women

The issue of the missing consideration of non-white women is one of the features of the painting in question. In her discussion of the concept of intersectionality, Coaston considers the critical race theory, which is based on assessing the irrational nature of racial identity in the context of the current socioeconomic order. The failure to express the interests and preferences of individual social classes demonstrates the inability of the ruling elites and legislators to form healthy values and competent justice (Coaston). From the standpoint of the painting under consideration, “Vessels of Genealogies” is an example of how biased even this form of art can be.

The key object in the painting is the image of a woman, compiled from individual decorative elements. With the idea that Baez is a feminist, one might notice that the skin color of the woman in the painting is white. When demonstrating this to the public, the artist emphasizes the unwillingness of society to put up with the fact that feminism has no race, and ignoring female identity in this aspect is common. According to Ahmed, feminism should be viewed exclusively in an intersectional context; otherwise, it is biased and cannot address the interests of all interested women without exception (5). In other words, even in art, ingrained stereotypes that have been formed over decades prevail in the mass consciousness. Baez’s attempt to draw attention to the problem through the prism of intersectionality shows that society perceives feminism only in the context of the movement of white women in the struggle for equality, ignoring the concerns of females of other races. This idea sharply intersects with contemporary issues regarding social racism and deserves attention as a problem that entails concomitant gaps in the perception of equality.

Intersectionality is a concept that allows for a better understanding of the painting. As Cooper argues, this theory of feminism is closely linked to social control, which inhibits any form of the free perception of identity (389). Baez does not seek to convey self-identity in her painting; conversely, her work reflects the exact opposite of the artist’s cultural milieu. This resistance to individual values is a testament to Baez’s feminist views and the desire to convey to the public that denial is not an adequate approach. Even through the opposite image, the artist seeks to underline the existing stereotypes and suggests perceiving intersectionality as the only possible form of assessing women’s problems. According to Coaston, once people understand that discrimination has no race, age, or other demographic characteristics, the problem of racism will cease to be the scourge of modern society. However, at the moment, the situation is not changing much, and Baez’s painting is one of the incentives to correct this.

False Perception of Intersectionality in Society

Intersectionality is a theory that disregards the general idea of discrimination in favor of the intersection of a wide range of individual experiences, thereby rejecting a unified approach to interpreting oppression. In “Vessels of Genealogies,” Baez seeks to move away from the dominant culture and show the public her feelings about society’s inability to accept the idea that stereotyping has no individual traits. Racial identity should not play a decisive role in shaping public opinion regarding the problem of discrimination against women. Cooper mentions subjectivity as one of the obvious features of intersectionality; this means that “mutually reinforcing vectors of race, gender, class, and sexuality” cannot be seen through a single perspective (391). Nevertheless, from a societal perspective, inequality is difficult to perceive as a problem for a particular individual. Therefore, even in the context of existing knowledge about the inadmissibility of discrimination and racism, intersectionality is not perceived as one of the rational approaches to interpreting the issue of inequality.

In recent years, attempts to rethink people’s struggle against racism have led to mass protests and movements aimed at drawing the attention of the global community to the problem. The painting in question is one of the tools of this movement because Baez deliberately displays the character on the canvas in white, thereby awakening in people a sense of disagreement with existing stereotypes. Coaston cites the views of some sociologists on the existence of intersectionality and its manifestations in modern realities; according to her findings, some experts consider this concept nothing more than a victimization algorithm. However, such a superficial view is a distorted form of evaluation. Cooper states that intersectionality must be viewed from an epistemological perspective because the concept is a methodology designed to solve a specific problem but not provide a background for general reasoning (392). In other words, such a theory serves as an incentive to draw attention to the issue and take the necessary measures to overcome existing barriers. As a result, the distorted perception of intersectionality is an obstacle to the productive struggle for women’s equality, which Baez seeks to emphasize in her work.

Given the context of the events during which “Vessels of Genealogies” was created, one should consider the work as a specific appeal rather than the artist’s creative eye. Since intersectionality is a concept that is based on the intersection of forms of discrimination in the painting in question, the public can find evidence of the missing consideration of non-white women. For instance, despite the white color of the skin, the hair of the woman in the picture corresponds to the traditional African American style. The patterns that form the figure of the body show a wide range of subjects, thereby emphasizing the rich genealogical nature and the senselessness of denying multinationalism as a normal social and cultural phenomenon. According to Ahmed, intersectionality implies a constant movement based either on avoiding stereotyping or striving to achieve desired values (119). Thus, the perception of this concept is often false due to the lack of public knowledge about the nature of discrimination and the fact that feminism cannot be considered the problem of individual women.

Representing Identity Through Intersectionality

While analyzing the transmission of identity through the painting in question, one can notice that the artist does not seek to convey her personal self-identity. Conversely, Baez deliberately distorts the image of the character on the canvas to draw attention to the social problem of inequality, expressed in the lack of racial diversity when discussing feminist issues. Ahmed mentions some of the policies and regulations related to this issue, such as changes to the Race Relations Act, adopted by the UK government at the beginning of the 21st century (103). This legislation was aimed at increasing liability for racial slurs. However, in the painting, Baez does not intend to fight for individual rights. Rather, she seeks to emphasize the rights of all women to respect for their identity and opportunities to feel secure. This message is natural as a creative idea behind “Vessels of Genealogies.”

The manifestation of identity, however, is a relevant form of intersectionality ideas transmission. Coaston cites the example of the 2017 Women’s March, which was held to highlight the intersecting issues of women facing discrimination. Personal experience, in this case, is a valuable factor indicating the relevance of drawing public attention to the problem of inequality. Through interaction with each other, stakeholders share experiences and look for ways to label the problem as acute. This is one of the main tasks of the feminist movement; the more people know about discrimination, the more likely it is that society will be able to make more efforts to eradicate this issue. Therefore, even though Baez does not reflect her individual identity in the painting under consideration, in a general context, intersectionality is an approach to expressing relevant aspirations and preferences as openly as possible.

The theme of identity is an essential aspect of social balance. Existing norms and regulations consider this factor as a significant criterion for the formation of legal relationships. As Cooper argues, “the law conceptualizes people through the structural identities of gender, race, sexual orientation, or national origin” (390). At the same time, when taking into account the concept of intersectionality as one of the theories of feminism, one should consider that personalization is more important than universalization. In other words, individual cases of experienced discrimination are an adequate criterion for assessing existing social prejudices than aggregate discourses about inequality. Thus, Baez’s painting is an example of how individual creative work can stimulate the masses to reflect on the importance of struggling for women’s equality.

Conclusion

The missing of race in feminism is the critical issue raised in Firelei Baez’s painting “Vessels of Genealogies.” In addition, the aspects of identity are raised because the theory of intersectionality, through which this creative work is analyzed, implies evaluating individual experiences. In the modern world, the issues of discrimination and women’s inequality are actively discussed, and the painting in question is one of the tools to influence the masses. Although Baez does not reflect her personal identity in this work, she highlights the complex nature of human development and emphasizes multiculturalism as a significant aspect of interaction in society. Moving away from stereotypes and calling for attention to the issue of discrimination highlight the clear feminist nature of “Vessels of Genealogies.”

Works Cited

Ahmed, Sara. Living a Feminist Life. Duke University Press, 2017.

Coaston, Jane. “The Intersectionality Wars.”Vox, 2019.

Cooper, Brittney. “Intersectionality.” The Oxford Handbook of Feminist Theory, edited by Lisa Disch and Mary Hawkesworth, Oxford University Press, 2016, pp. 385-406.

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