Being in the Ruins: Of Ontology of the Mess

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the experience of being in ruins and how Black creative work brings to life the question of existential being. It examines the two sides of existence in which decolonial aesthetics represent both being in a place and the condition of those denied full humanity. The chapter reflects on the Black individual, who, as an outsider made of “Black matter,” does not belong in the modern Western world. This individual is considered part of the mess of Blackness. The chapter places Black creative culture in the context of these ruins, showing how it allows Black creators to explore their identity beyond colonial boundaries. In this place, being in ruins creates new, complex existential ideas that turn the Black body into flesh. The chapter unpacks these ideas, presenting the Black body as one deeply connected to dark matter, representing the ruins of modernity—Blackness.