Arts & International Affairs: Volume 2, Number 2 | Page 158

The artist rebutted by arguing that his work was confused with the picture
of the minister of culture cutting the cake which had been widely shared
in the media. Makode Linde explained that his art is based on personal
experiences of living in a racist society:
“When caricature meets the romanticisation of the exotic and ideas
about paradise collides with reality’s narrative of apartheid and
oppression, new pictures and contexts arise which forces a racist
view upon the observer.” (Aftonbladet)
The argument between Patel and Linde is typical for today’s socio-cultural
climate. Iconoclasm and iconodulism are not of past cultural expressions,
but rather are part of today’s social tug-of-war that globalization produces.
The �/�� terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon may be
interpreted as a form of iconoclasm. A particular type of baleful worship
of images is practiced by xenophobic and far-right movements throughout
Europe who, in order to awaken tribalistic sentiments, exploit nationalist
myths and racist symbols. Another form of iconoclasm is exercised by those
artists and cartoonists who, as a way of provoking or entertaining, make
caricatures out of motifs that others perceive as holy.
Likewise, Linde retools mainstream cultural stereotypes in a manner
similar to how singers and poets in the early days of the Workers’ Movement
wrote satirical lyrics to well-known religious melodies. Patel also engages
in iconoclasm by claiming the subordinate figure’s rights to one’s own
voice and representation. One of her feminist predecessors includes Mary
Richardson, who cut open Diego Vélasquez’ painting Rokeby Venus in ����
at the National Gallery in London with the motivation: “Justice is an element
of beauty as much as colour and outline on canvas.”
References
Linde, Makode. (����) Tårtkalaset är ett uttryck mot rasism (The cake party is
an expression against racism). Aftonbladet, April ��. http://www.aftonbladet.
se/debatt/article��������.ab
Patel, Shailja. (����) The missing ingredient in Sweden’s racist-misogynist
cake. Pambazuka News, April ��. http://www.pambazuka.org/governance/
missing-ingredient-sweden’s-racist-misogynist-cake
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