Community-Based Representation: A Study of Japan and West Africa

These works from the Berea College Art Collection explore how many consider Western ideals about portraiture and portrayal to be universal and how this bias is problematic. The chosen works explore idealism as a means of expressing a cultural group’s desired outward image and beauty standards. While this section aims to subvert the unquestioned assumption of the Western gaze, it is not meant to be a comprehensive study of Non-Western representation. 

The works present were created in Japan and West Africa. These art pieces reveal the focus on community over individualism and often communicate group associations through tribal markings or societal beauty standards. Within the cultures represented, it is not customary for human portrayal to be rendered as a particular individual and his/her unique physical characteristics, but rather the traits that assert his/her determined cultural significance.

In fact, very few of these depictions include markers of individuality that would suggest a specific person. Noh masks, used in Japanese theater performance, communicate specific archetypes – the ideals of beauty or wisdom, for example. The Japanese prints, as well, use cultural markers particular to the region to imbue these portrayals with meaning. The West African masks communicate beauty ideals and use stylized tribal markings to indicate a close-knit group. All together, these works indicate the importance of archetypes and recognizable community standards to communicate meaning within a cohesive cultural group.