Jibade-Khalil Huffman’s solo exhibition, Now That I Can Dance, presented by Tufts University Art Galleries, marks a significant moment as his first solo show in New England. This compelling exhibition showcases over twenty pieces, including collaged prints, videos, and lightbox “paintings,” created between 2014 and the spring and summer of 2020, culminating in the debut of his video project, The Circle. While initially accessible to Tufts students and faculty at the Aidekman Arts Center, the exhibition’s virtual adaptation on Matterport allows a broader audience to experience Huffman’s work. Remarkably, the essence and impact of Now That I Can Dance translate seamlessly into the digital realm, offering a potent exploration of contemporary themes.
Rooted deeply in Huffman’s established poetry practice, his art delves into the often-blurred lines between our mediated experiences and how these platforms shape our very selves. A posthumanist perspective provides a valuable framework for understanding Huffman’s oeuvre. Drawing from theorist N. Katherine Hayles’ definition of subjectivity as a fluid “material-informational entity,” we can see how Huffman’s recurring use of collage perfectly embodies this concept. Collage, for Huffman, becomes a powerful tool to collect and reconfigure the fragmented data that defines the contemporary subject.
Huffman masterfully layers pop culture imagery with videos capturing everyday moments, often tinged with subtle absurdity. Whether it’s protestors marching in circles with generic yard signs or a foley artist poised with a hammer, ready to strike his hand for sound effects, Huffman plunges the viewer into his complex inner world. We are invited to join him in questioning the pervasive role of mass media in shaping individual identities and, more specifically, to examine how monolithic representations of Black culture in film, television, and music influence both the creation and perception of Black identity. Huffman himself has spoken about his pieces evoking “a feeling that makes you… think about race and how Black people see themselves,” contrasting this with “how media sees Black people.” Much like poetry, which Huffman describes as existing “in between fiction and nonfiction,” his multi-media assemblages inhabit these liminal spaces of life.
The exhibition’s title, Now That I Can Dance, directly echoes the Contours’ 1962 hit song “Do You Love Me.” The song’s central lyric, a plea “Do you love me Now That I Can Dance?”, is recontextualized by Huffman. While the curatorial interpretation suggests the title alludes to the “false promise” of mainstream media, its relentless performativity, and the resulting desensitization towards marginalized communities, Huffman’s subtle shift in emphasis is crucial. By removing the self-doubting “Do you love me?” and foregrounding “Now that I can dance,” Huffman’s work transcends a purely critical stance. Despite engaging with a landscape deeply embedded in the politico-media complex, Now That I Can Dance resonates beyond its material components, revealing glimpses into the artist’s psyche and a broader cultural consciousness that seeks agency and expression.
Upon entering the gallery (virtually or physically), one is met with a selection of Huffman’s inkjet prints. These collages are intricate layers of faces, shapes, numbers, found graphics, and original photography. Untitled (Monitor) (2015), subtly positioned near the entrance, exemplifies this energetic density. Pink hues of neatly made beds, blue tones of chairs turned backward, and various furniture fragments converge on a plane defined by black space and white outlines. These collage prints effectively introduce Huffman’s central exploration: the aesthetic representation of identity construction within the pervasive culture of mass media. Each collage “unit” is a composite of diverse elements and their repetition, mirroring the deconstructed nature of contemporary identity. Huffman discovers a poetic quality in this iteration, elevating it to a cosmic scale.
Progressing through the exhibition, viewers encounter Huffman’s video work. These pieces channel the spirit of Dadaist collage, adapting it for the post-network era. An excerpt from Black Twitter in the Hour of Chaos (2018) stands out as a cinematic collage in itself, weaving together audio-visual clips into a vibrant, even cacophonous, symphony of Black culture. In this work, personal Black experiences intersect with the often-distorting gaze of mainstream media. Here, Huffman again remixes the dominant narratives of pop culture, using remixing as a means of self-determination and reclaiming agency. Good Jazz (2017), a stream-of-consciousness visual poem looping on a monitor tucked away in the back room, further highlights Huffman’s remarkable ekphrastic poetry. This piece exemplifies the interdisciplinary nature of his work, a hallmark evident throughout Now That I Can Dance.
However, within Huffman’s media matrix, the exhibition also subtly critiques the pervasive cycle of consumerist spectatorship. Meaningful exhibitions, like Now That I Can Dance, should offer viewers a space to move beyond these ingrained feedback loops. While escaping the constant stimulation of our hyper-connected world may be an unrealistic aspiration, the possibility of transcendence remains, especially within this futurist arena of glitches and artistic exploration. Huffman’s work effectively creates openings, “fissures,” that encourage viewers to perceive the world through a more inclusive and kaleidoscopic perspective.
Jibade-Khalil Huffman: Now That I Can Dance remains accessible online through the TUAG website.
