Oshosi Receives His Crown 2019

Editor: This is "Oshosi Receives His Crown" by Harmonia Rosales, painted in 2019 using oil on canvas. The figures stand out boldly against the backdrop, almost cinematic in quality. What's your read on the piece, especially its social message? Curator: What strikes me is how Rosales uses the visual language of European history painting—its composition, the use of landscape—but reframes it. We see what seems to be a traditional scene of coronation or investiture, yet it’s populated with Black figures representing the Yoruba deity Oshosi. Think about how the European artistic canon historically excluded Black bodies, only portraying them through a colonial lens. Editor: So, this artwork becomes a powerful intervention, challenging that exclusion head-on? Curator: Precisely. It's a reclaiming of representation, a potent commentary on the politics of visibility within art history. The artist consciously uses oil paint, traditionally associated with Western art, but centers a Black spiritual narrative. Consider where this piece is shown – in what kind of museum or gallery? Editor: That’s a good point. Where the art is exhibited influences its reception, too. Displaying it in a major institution signals a shift in acknowledging diverse perspectives. Curator: Absolutely! This kind of work asks us to rethink not only what stories we tell, but who gets to tell them, and within what institutional frameworks art functions. Have our viewing assumptions been disrupted, challenged, and transformed in this work of art? Editor: I now appreciate how much this piece speaks to larger power dynamics in the art world and society. Thanks for illuminating its significance beyond the surface. Curator: My pleasure! Art like this reminds us that museums and galleries are never neutral spaces, but are active participants in shaping cultural narratives.