In reference to the theme of the 2020 edition of E.A.T., Charles Gaines reflects on the terms “listen” and “silence”. The conflation between these two seems arbitrary; the attribution of meaning is subjective. The connection of seemingly randomly chosen objects also plays a central role in his artistic work. As an example, Gaines presents his video “Black Ghost Blues Redux” (2018). Gaines further relates the phenomenon of conflation to the book “Black and Blur” (2017) by American Black Studies author Fred Moten.
“I wish to argue, in this case, that the conflation of “Listen – Silent” is a critically driven construction unpacking an esthetic that is political.”
– Charles Gaines
