Party Time at the Newark Museum

I usually don’t want to talk about my time in South Africa because it makes me feel like this:

But seeing the works of South African artists on display in the Arts of Global Africa collection at the Newark Museum had me feeling some type of way.

Also we need to talk about “Party Time: Re-imagining America” by Yinka Shonibare MBE. This piece alone is worth the price of admission to the Newark Museum, and I encourage anyone who is able to visit TO DO SO.

This piece is installed in the Ballantine House, a historical landmark and former residence owned by the museum now. The inside of the house is largely restored to appear as it did during the Victorian period, for a wealthy white family:

The dining room of the Ballantine House is erupting with joy. And Indonesian batik fabrics. And color. And life.

This is a fantastical look at an American household in the 19th Century. The freedom and debauchery reminded me most of an African city that broke my heart.

I miss the art and beauty of Cape Town. I miss the anarchist spirit and the fact that everyone I knew was a music and software pirate. I can’t party like Capetonians anymore–like nothing matters, like tomorrow isn’t real, like the entirety of human history is beckoning me to black out on Long Street right now.

But oh my GOD this party looks fun.