Come Outside and See Everchanging Shapes
We're celebrating the work of Black creatives with a look at Kara Walker, collages by Ian Woods, photos from Dana Scruggs, paintings by Bill Traylor and much more
This week we’re focusing on Black creatives from around the world, as well as the past and present, as a celebration of Black History Month. As a curious person, understanding where things come from, and looking ahead to see where they’re going, is super important. For example, when you look at popular music these days I would say roughly 90% derives from Black culture, probably more. Rock and roll, hip-hop, house, these are all genres that started with Black musicians. And if you think I’m in any way incorrect here, you have a whole lot of learning to do.
And that’s a big issue facing America currently. The history of Black people, of slavery, of racism, is trying to be avoided, and in a lot of cases, swept under the rug. I saw this great quote from Nikole Hannah-Jones, a journalist, known for her coverage of civil rights in the United States, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 2020 for her work on The 1619 Project.
This is a hard issue for America as a society, that we did a lot of bad things to a lot of innocent people. Instead of owning up to those truths, and paying the proper reparations, some people continue to act in ignorance and without a sense of morality. For context, “Germany paid approximately $86.8 billion in restitution and compensation to Holocaust victims and their heirs.” Yet to this day Black people continue to be marginalized.
That’s not me. I will always celebrate those who are different from me, tell their stories and share the amazing things they’ve accomplished. Exploring and learning the stories of others is what makes life interesting! We need to lift one another up in any way we can, and do what I can to be a good ally.
In the wise words of Langston Hughes, "Folks, I'm telling you, birthing is hard and dying is mean—so get yourself a little loving in between."
📌 — Kara Walker is one of the most important artist of our lifetime. Her cut paper works depicting the tales and stories from the antebellum South, the brutality of slavery, and racist stereotypes. Last week, her new show titled Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War opened up at the New-York Historical Society, highlighting the lack of Black representation and the stereotypes present in these illustrations.
Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated) is a series of 15 prints based on the two-volume anthology published in 1866 and 1868. Walker’s work comments on the omission of African Americans from this narrative and urges viewers to consider the persistence of violent caricature and stereotype today. To create her prints, Walker enlarged select illustrations and then overlaid them with large stenciled figures. The silhouettes visually disrupt the scenes and suffuse them with scenarios evocative of the painful past left out of Harper’s original images.
The show runs from 24 February 2023 to 11 June 2023.
📌 — One of the most exciting artists that I’m following right now is Ian Woods, a Florida-based collagist. As you can see above, his work consists of these abstract shaped cutouts of portraits which come together in the most dynamic ways. His art gives me the energy of Matisse’s work only with a contemporary edginess, oftentimes employing photos that feature eye contact, which really draws you in. I highly recommend following him on Twitter where he often shows his process in making his pieces.
📌 — Dana Scruggs is a photographer originally from the Southside of Chicago who has been living and working in New York, who’s story to success is remarkable. Frustrated with not being hired for editorial work, she started SCRUGGS Magazine, a print publication dedicated to her vision of the male form. The magazine was her way to create editorial and creative content because none of the magazines she approached would hire her. Then she finally got her break with ESPN’s Body Issue, becoming the first Black female photographer to shoot an athlete for the Body Issue in its 10-year history. Further, and even more remarkably, she went on to shoot Travis Scott for the cover of Rolling Stone, becoming the first Black person to EVER shoot a cover in the magazines 50 year history. What the fuck.
Her work is always dynamic and energetic. Her understanding of the human body, and how to capture it, is extraordinary. Her cover photo of Megan Thee Stalltion for Time is such a treat, I’m obsessed with these images of Rashid Johnson and his paintings, and you can’t miss these photos of Mecca Mozelle, the colors are unreal.
📌 — I was excited to come across the work of William "Bill" Traylor on TikTok, creating art that depicted his memories of working on a plantation and the Black southern history of the 20th century. He was born into an enslaved family in Alabama, then after the Civil War he ended up doing farm labor, until he ended up in Montgomery where he began to draw and paint.
Many people have described his work as “primitive” or “naive” but his images are filled with years of experience, with many of his works being created well into this 80’s. He had such a refined eye for editing, honing in on his subjects and his focus, and using negative space on the page for maximum effect.
If you’re like me and you’re interested in learning more about Bill Traylor’s work, there’s a documentary called Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts that you should check out. And if you’re interested in see more of his works, you can pop over to the Smithsonian who has a number of pieces scanned in high-res for you to really pour over.
🍃 — One of the biggest surprises to come out of Milan Fashion Week was the STUNNING collection from Ferragamo’s Fall 2023 RTW, designed by 27 year old Maximilian Davis. Vogue has a brief but informative interview with Maximilian discussing his path to his current creative director role.
🍃 — Really digging the work of Sam Bellenger, a graphic designer who does a lot of work around music. You can’t miss these film title card concepts he created, someone needs to hire this guy to do these full time.
🍃 — Taschen recently released a new book titled Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History, which “shines a light on the world of hip-hop, where mega stars from Run-DMC to Tupac and Jay-Z to Migos and Cardi B flash brilliant custom pieces to show status and personal style.”
🍃 — I’ve written about photographer Tyler Mitchell before and his work is still so inspiring to me. His work for Louis Vuitton’s SS23 campaign is utterly gorgeous. The compositions and colors are beyond.
🍃 — There’s a new James Baldwin exhibit up at Amherst College called God Made My Face: A Collective Portrait of James Baldwin, showcasing works from works from iconic artists such as Richard Avedon, Marlene Dumas, and Kara Walker alongside archival materials in order to explore the life, work, and legacy of James Baldwin.
🍃 — If you’re looking for something new to cook let me direct you to the recipes of Yewande Komolafe, a Nigerian-born food writer, author, and food stylist. She has a recipe for anything you might be craving, plus a new book coming out this fall titled My Everyday Lagos Kitchen: Nigerian Cooking at Home and in the Diaspora.
🍃 — I’m currently obsessed with the work of Ludovic Nkoth, a Cameroonian painter who creates stunning portraits that examine the life of a person who left home at 13 for New York. His unique perspective and bold way of painting creates incredibly compelling pieces.
🍃 — I can’t end this week’s edition without offering up some music recommendations! Currently, these are three of my favorite records I’ve been listening to on repeat:
Who is the artist of your first stunning painting in this article?? I can't find it!