To fully understand the meaning of Primitivism, we must go back into history…
The art brought by European explorers from the African continent was not considered “art” according to the 18th-century definition of art and hence placed in ethnographical and anthropological museums to be regarded as a part of their culture.
In the broader context, the European artists used the word “primitive” to describe ideas and forms developed by artists working on the African continent because they didn’t consider it art. The work by African artists was considered less than the art made by Western artists, and the word “primitive” was used by European artists to justify the colonization of the African continent. On the other hand, the early 20th-century art made by European artists was considered to be modern and advanced than the art made by native Africans themselves.
Alberta Arts District
Alberta’s neighborhood is in the northeast corner of the city. It is full of cafes and a variety of cultures in a confined space. There are art-inspired shops, including craft shops, ceramics shops, painting shops, and numerous stores that have local art on the wall for sale.
There’s an overwhelming amount of street art, mostly in the form of murals, and there’s even art in places you don’t expect art to be in, including the trash cans and bus benches.
On Northeast 17th Avenue, the Community Cycling Center Mural was a project by artist Robin Korbo, completed in 2006 with the help of volunteers, depicting all manner of subjects, including musicians, hot air balloons, spaceships, and pirates riding a bike. The Community Cycling Center is also a non-profit, as it provides access to bikes to all, regardless of income and background, justifying this space to the community.
On the northeast side of 17th Avenue, I encountered another mural. It shows the story of Floyd N. Booker Sr., who served in the army and worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for almost twenty years. He then started his business, Courtesy Janitorial Services, which is still operational today and is one of the oldest African American-owned businesses in Portland.
How did we get these Murals in such a small space?
The neighborhood had been neglected due to various events, including the discontinuing of the streetcar, which was replaced by the bus system in the late ‘40s. There was an economic decline due to the construction of the freeways, which resulted in taking the traffic away from the neighborhood. In the late eighties, the area had become dangerous due to gang-related activities, which resulted in the closure of many long-standing businesses.
Roslyn Hill is an important figure in the making and revitalization of the northeast Portland, Alberta Arts District. She, working with business partners, is credited with redeveloping several blocks along Alberta Street and pioneering the use of urban touches, such as public art and corrugated metal siding paired with existing vintage structures.
Paxton Gate
Located on North Mississippi Avenue, Paxton Gate is an establishment that is much more than your average bodega. It’s more akin to entering a zoo that has been possessed by a Shamanistic witch; a sanctuary where the aesthetics of the supernatural and the natural sciences coexist. Specimen jars contain a wide variety of taxidermy creatures, including zebras, rabbits, hippos, frogs, and exotic fish. But there is still indefinable beauty at Paxton Gate, even in death.
In the Context of Primitivism, I visualize the aesthetic at Paxton Gate as a modern reimagining of the word ‘primitive.’ The art exists in the form that is framed, curated, and commodified. Death is an object of beauty, and it is similar to the Primitivist impulse to appropriate non-Western art forms and distance them from their cultural origins. Here, nature is a consumable object that can be purchased and displayed as a luxury good, similar to ‘artworks’ that were once exhibited in European museums.
However, unlike Alberta’s murals, which seek racial equity and represent local culture, Paxton Gate’s art of taxidermy raises ethical questions about commodification. These two interpretations reflect the issues and complexities of Primitivism and raise questions about the exploitative consumption of ‘exotic’ aesthetics.
Alberta Arts District is different from the curated, commodified ‘primitivism’ seen at Paxton Gate. Here, the streets are murals that display the narratives of a community shaped by labor and resilience. The mural of Floyd N. Bokker Sr., who built his own business against systemic neglect, is more than just a painted image – it is a return to intuitive, unrefined creativity that aims to connect with the unfiltered realities of life.
