FABIYINO GERMAIN-BAJOWA

The Benefit of the Integration of Art and Life as a Means of Producing Aesthetic Experience

When learning about art history, students often don’t question whether something should be considered art or where the concept of “art” as they know it originated. Aesthetic philosophy provides an opportunity to think critically about the historical significance of the institutions we visit every day which claim to house art. In reality, the concept of aesthetic experience as we know it is a recent product of the enlightenment age (Shiner 2003). Who can appreciate art and undergo aesthetic experience has been highly debated since then by philosophers such as Kant, Burke, Adorno, and many others. The experience of Indigenous artworks in Among All These Tundras, which are not meant to be autonomous but which, as Leuthold says, have a sense of accountability to the community and land, allowed for a much stronger aesthetic experience because of a complete lack of existing concept to which I could categorize the works, all made by Indigenous artists and representing an Indigenous way of seeing. Pieces such as “Sami Shelters, #1-5” by Joar Nango and “Birds in the Earth” by Marja Helander as well as the general content of Among All These Tundras created a lasting aesthetic experience. They demonstrate that aesthetic appreciation is not based on education, class, lineage, or predisposition, but rather on my ability to question my surroundings and societal norms. This experience conforms to Kant’s suppositions on aesthetic experiences and the observation of beauty as a process that occurs in the mind as an interplay between the faculties of imagination and reason. Furthermore, my experience also proves that, as Dewey theorized, aesthetic experiences are common within life and are only intensified through art because of their intended purpose to produce those integral experiences. Finally, although I agree with Kant’s concepts of the mental process which occurs during an aesthetic experience, this essay will conclude that aesthetic judgement is hindered by disinterestedness, encouraged by curiosity, and facilitated by the integration of art and life. 

Firstly, it is important to understand the difference between Indigenous aesthetics and Western aesthetics. Since this show was entirely made up of Indigenous artists, it undoubtedly demonstrated the Indigenous way of seeing Steven Leuthold establishes in Indigenous Aesthetics: Native Art Media and Identity. In this novel, Leuthold presents the idea that vision and perception are structured by culture, leading to a European way of seeing and an Indigenous way of seeing which are not at all based on the same values. Because of this, Indigenous works of art often reflect certain values such as an integration of life and art, a sense of community, and a sense of accountability to the land within which the piece was made. Leuthold explains that when Indigenous artists move away from non-traditional media, especially when they use new-media techniques, the native way of seeing is then reflected in the way humans interact with the landscape, the way shots are framed, the cinematography, and the narrative of the works. Indigenous films are often influenced by oral storytelling practices, a cultural structure that considers land, animals, and humans to be connected, and an appreciation of other art forms as expressions of individuality and collective. Because European aesthetics were developed during the enlightenment when the battle between individual and society was at its most intense, the autonomous work of art which exists outside of this tension is extremely important to European aesthetics. This work represents a cultural value of individualism and fear of conformity. The autonomous work of art, which is not accountable to any person, politics, or the natural world represents an illusion essential to the Western art world. Since Indigenous cultures do not have this conflict between individualism and conformity, at least to such a degree as European societies during the enlightenment, the autonomous work of art is unimportant to Indigenous art, and Indigenous works cannot be judged by the same standards as Western art (Leuthold 1998). Having understood this, it is no surprise that I have been raised to value the autonomous work of art in much the same way as the European-derived society I live in. I was confounded when presented with Indigenous works of art lacking autonomy completely. Many of the works address traditional methods of hunting, dance, craft, and colonial trauma felt throughout many communities. I felt the pain, joy, and pride they shared when experiencing the works, which was a new and puzzling experience of viewing for me. Though this confusion has dissipated through exposure and further education, a true understanding of Indigenous art and aesthetics is something I am still working toward. Because of this lack of understanding, I was curious about the meaning and production of the works in Among All These Tundras. This desire to learn produced an aesthetic experience because I considered the pieces in a more critical way than art I am most used to viewing, which are representations of European values. This curiosity produces an aesthetic experience based on the free play between the imagination and the rational like Kant described during a reflective judgement. 

Secondly, my experience at Among All These Tundras conformed to Kant’s description of aesthetic judgements. Kant’s focus on what occurred within the mind when one made an aesthetic judgement can be applied to my experience at the exhibit. Kant’s explanation of the two faculties involved in making a judgement is as such; the faculty of understanding takes everyday experiences and abstracts them, creating categories and concepts. When a judgement needs to be made, the faculty of reason uses concepts produced by the faculty of understanding to produce knowledge. When the faculty of reason fits a new experience under an existing concept, a determinate judgement is made. However, when no concept exists for this experience, reflective judgement is made. Aesthetic judgement occurs when a reflection is required to create a new concept and no new concept is created. This causes interplay between imagination and rationality and the process of cognizing is where we feel joy. Though the object does not have a concept we can fit it to, or a purpose we are aware of, we sense that the object has a purpose and we search for this using imagination and reason (Kant 1987). This is the object’s purposiveness without purpose, and Kant believes that the heightened cognitive activity and creativity we feel when undergoing this process is the experience of beauty. I agree with Kant that beauty is not a property of an object but rather a feeling produced in the mind while making an aesthetic judgement, making it wholly subjective. My experience of the works does not, however, demonstrate a sensus communis, as I was not inclined to believe that other people must feel the same way about the beauty of the artworks as I did. In my opinion, the purposiveness without purpose is highly present in Indigenous art because of its sense of accountability. For example, “Sami Shelters, #1-5” by Joar Nango had a purpose as multiple knitted sweaters meant to keep one warm and provide comfort in the cold. However, to me, they also seemed to have another deeper purpose, perhaps because of their ornamentation. Since non-European derived cultures often made socially useful artworks, some do not consider these utilitarian objects art. However, they are clearly “distinguishable from mere craft in terms of…the aesthetic properties [they are] created to possess. Mere craftworks lack aesthetic properties, or are not made to have them” (Davies 2007). Because Indigenous works are so heavily community-based, often they are utilitarian works or works which benefit the community as a whole. This, for me, increases their purposiveness without purpose more so than a so-called “autonomous” work of art. The autonomous work of art pretends to be truly autonomous but seems to have a purpose as a tool of dissemination of those European values of which it is a product. On the contrary, Indigenous works have a visible use but also seem to provide something more than their utility to the community. In Marja Helander’s “Birds in the Earth”, there was a clear purpose of telling the story of her cultural heritage, but it seemed to also be a means of preserving said culture, of creating strong ancestry, and of being more than just simply a beautiful video. 

Lastly, both the process my mind undergoes and the content which encourages that experience are not exclusive to gallery spaces and museums. Rather, as Dewey suggests, “the esthetic is no intruder in experience from without… but that it is the clarified and intensified development of traits that belong to every nor­mally complete experience” (Dewey 1934), meaning there is an aesthetic quality to all experience, whether it involves art objects or not. He theorizes that there are everyday life experiences, called Erlebnis, and experiences that change you, altering the way you view the world afterwards, or Erfahrung. Dewey’s philosophy of art as a produced experience rather than physical objects breaks down the separation of art and life. Dewey also believes that the traditional view of art has “deadened” it through the placement of art and artists in museums and their commodification. He states that art has become an icon for what art should be but no longer is. The iconic nature of art closes off new forms of aesthetic experience and makes the works appear timeless and universal, which severs it from its original context and prevents us from understanding the relationships it used to have, ultimately removing any force the art had and preventing it from providing an integral experience. To undo this deadening of art and allow everyone to have integral experiences is essential to restoring order to our society and bringing unity to the forces of life. This can be done through the social integration of people in general and the integration of art and life. (Dewey 1934). The deadening of art of which Dewey is critical is essentially only present in European-derived societies which value arts autonomy. Many other non-European-derived cultures never underwent the separation of fine art and craft, medicine, or trade. Because of this, I found my experience at Among All These Tundras to be much more affecting than say, the Reuben’s show. This is because many of the indigenous artist's works were highly integrated into their everyday life, such as traditional dances, accessories, hunting methods and clothing. Many works were very affecting, to the point where I was made mentally and physically uncomfortable remaining with them for long periods. I would move from piece to piece and often revisit pieces that I was unable to stand for long to assess my understanding of the subject matter and the reason it was difficult for me to view. This conforms to Dewey’s theories that integral experiences are so all-consuming that they can be painful. The works functioned to produce that experience because they remained completely connected to the communities from which they originated and melded the everyday life of those communities with art. This produced an aesthetic experience similar to those which occur when I am reading or learning about the struggle of others. Thus, my pain and discomfort when visiting Among All These Tundras prove that, though integral experiences are stronger when produced by art, they are not exclusive to art and can occur through many experiences in everyday life. 

In conclusion, my exhibition visit to Among All These Tundras was similar to the experiences described by both Kant and Dewey to some extent. I found that my lack of understanding of Indigenous aesthetics encourage curiosity and questioning of the meaning of the pieces I viewed, which, like Kant describes, created a free play between my faculties of reason and imagination. I also believe my experience proved that not only “traditional” art objects can create aesthetic experiences but that the integration of art and life that many indigenous artists achieve is essential to creating integral experiences which continue to affect me past the gallery space as Dewey theorized. Though Kant suggests that aesthetic judgement cannot be made without disinterestedness, I believe being personally invested in works allows one to have a deeper aesthetic experience, as shown by the accountability indigenous works demonstrate to their community and the power those works hold for both the communities and people outside of them. I believe the integration of art and life is essential to being wholly in tune with one's senses and allows for a never-ending cycle of growth and curiosity, perpetuated by the aesthetic experiences provided by art.