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Identity Politics is an artist movement in the United States and Europe that started in the mid-1980s. Each of the artists in this movement uses their art to critique the widespread oppression of people according to their race, gender, and sexuality, present their life experiences, and challenge the social perceptions of their identity. In the twenty-first century, this movement developed into a way for LGBTQ+ artists to critique societies view of them. There is not one specific style of Identity Art, but it is an umbrella for understanding practices that artists used to portray their identities.

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The Black Civil Rights Movement, second wave feminism, and gay and lesbian liberation in the 1960s are all events that led to the emergence of Identity Politics as an artist movement. It allowed the once oppressed artists to emerge and become recognized. Artists at this time would create art that would deal with multiple issues of identity, and ran the risk of having their artwork only interpreted in relation to one issue of identity.

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Although Identity Politics began with artists creating art through mediums of paintings and photography shown in museums, galleries, and the art market, in the 21st century Identity Politics began to have influence on the production of film, television, and video games. We see a lot of examples of Identity Politics in popular films today. For example, Black Panther is the first black superhero in marvel universe, which was very revolutionary for the African-American community! There are also many examples today of female superheroes such as Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, and Black Widow. This shows how influential Identity Politics has been recently as women and people of color were oppressed just a century ago!

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Identity Politics Artist Spotlight: Faith Ringgold 

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Identity Politics Artist Spotlight: Faith Ringgold 

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Ringgold grew up in the the New York City borough of Harlem and attended public school there. After growing up in a setting of social injustice and being rejected from an all-male exhibition at the New York School of Visual Art, her art was inspired by the civil-rights movement and first wave feminism. Her mother was very influential in her art as she was a fashion designer. Ringgold learned from her mother and used the techniques of needlepoint, beading, braided ribbon, and sewn fabric to create her art. She is widely known for her narrative quilts, such as the one shown above titled Tar Beach. In this quilt she is reminiscing on the past and illustrates an environment that is free and equal, something that was difficult to enjoy as an African American woman during the end of the 20th Century.

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Kehinde Wiley, Napoleon Leading the Army Over the Alps, 2005. 

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Identity Politics Artist Spotlight: Kehinde Wiley

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Identity Politics Artist Spotlight: Kehinde Wiley

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Wiley is a popular 21st century artist who is known for recreating popular historical pieces of art that examines "race, gender, and the power of representation" (khanacademy.org). He earned his MFA (Master of Fine Arts) from Yale University and creates art through stained glass, painted altarpieces, and cast bronze sculptors.  We see in the recreation of Jacques-Louis David's portrait above that Wiley uses an anonymous African American man in place of the great Napoleon. Wiley is expressing the message that all races can have power. It is also a reminder that along with popular historical figures such as Napoleon, African Americans had historical roles in shaping our society today.

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Identity Politics Artist Spotlight: Romare Bearden 

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Identity Politics Artist Spotlight: Romare Bearden 

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Bearden was a student at the New York School where he began to paint and studied at the Art Students League. After serving in the military during World War 2, he went to study Philosophy in Paris which is where he switched to painting an Abstract Expressionism style. In the artwork above, Bearden uses the modern style of Cubism to depict the African American experience in a Harlem street scene. The goal of Bearden's paintings were to capture his memories and experiences in his own life.

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Kehinde Wiley popularized the art practice of "street-casting" in the early 2000s. This is where artists use complete strangers on the streets to be their models. Artists will use a historical piece of artwork and combine it with what it would look and feel like in the setting where they are "street-casting." Artists that practice this tend to paint the subject above the eye view of the audience to preserve the sense of awe and power that was intended by these historic works of art.

Extra: Watch the video to learn more about street-casting and how artists get random people off the streets to be their models (a lot of people reject the artists when they are asked to be their model)!

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One of the most popular music genres of today originated from African American communities in the 1960s, which is rap. Rap is a style of Identity Politics that uses speech, poetry, and song to create sociopolitical content. Rap is one of the most popular elements of African American hip-hop culture, but some other elements in hip-hop are beatboxing, breakdancing, and graffiti.