Dark Humor: African American Art from the University Museums, University of Delaware
Surrealist André Breton coined the term “black humor,” also known as “dark humor,” in 1935 to designate a subgenre of comedy in which pleasure arises from topics generally considered taboo. In 2016 the Delaware Art Museum presented Dark Humor: African American Art from the University of Delaware, an exhibition I curated of work by contemporary black artists who employ this type of subversive humor to question the currency of cultural and racial stereotypes. The show was selected from the African American art collection at the University of Delaware and features paintings and prints produced between 1970 and 2008 by artists, including Camille Billops, David Hammons, Barkley Hendricks, and Peter Williams.
Dr. Tiffany E. Barber 