The Blues Idiom of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá

media release: Masud Olufani, renowned mixed-media artist, activist, writer and Visiting Artist Fellow at Emory University, will examine the cultural practices of the African American community associated with the color blue, which is linked to a 'coolness of being or right moral action' in West Africa.  The conflation of 'blue' with the moral imperative to act justly is a dimension of the cultural memory of African Americans, who have referred to the color in music and art as an attitude of balance and peace of mind in the midst of chaos. This quality, so reflected in the life of  ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, a Central Figure of the Bahá'í Faith, serves as a conceptual basis for the deep connection between   ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá  and Black people. 

About Masud 

Masud’s studio practice, based in Atlanta, is rooted in the discipline of sculpture. He is a graduate of Morehouse College, and The Savannah College of Art and Design where he earned an M.F.A. in sculpture in 2013. HIs multidisciplinary practice explores the resonance of memory; the narrative traditions of African and African American folklore; and methodologies of constructive resilience implemented by marginalized communities to maintain cohesion and ensure survival.  He works with an assortment of materials and studio methods--renderings, sculptural form, sound, video, and performance--to investigate the ways in which objects operate in both the objective and subjective realities, and how history tethers those objects to individual and collective memory.  Thematically his work addresses issues such as social stratification; economic destabilization; racial justice, and the soul’s aspiration for transcendence. HIs devotion to the craft and the slow methodical realization of an idea in visual form reflects my belief in the maker’s ability to imbue the object with spirit through physical labor, fueled by vision and creativity. Masud’s work is often layered with multiple references and meanings that avoid trite summations. A prevailing archetype that has particular resonance in the conceptual formulation of his ideas is that of the ‘trickster’, who, in the context of African folklore, exists at the crossroads; the meeting place between opposing ideas.  At this intersection of possibilities we are asked to interpret a set of visual indicators that point towards a direction without being didactic.  It is the elasticity of the visual language; it’s ability to expand and contract— accommodate multiple meanings—that compels and inspires him. 

This event is hosted by The Racial Healing-Justice-Unity Bahá'í-inspired Series. For more information about the series: RHJU Description. Questions and inquiries: Contact Cherlynn Stevens at rhrj19@gmail.com