A#22
A Magazine Curated By Grace Wales Bonner
BARAKA, A. FUNDI. (1970) In Our Terribleness. Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., New York.
In a series of Afro-Atlantic narratives, Grace Wales Bonner weaves together archival portfolios and historical ephemera to anoint the themes of her issue, subtitled Rhapsody in the Street, and commission new works within it.
A Magazine Curated By Grace Wales Bonner is a continuation of the research that the designer dedicates to her craft, diving deep into the literary and visual traditions documenting Blackness in fleeting pockets of history or as a part of a larger interconnected history. Rather than the monolith often portrayed by Eurocentric narratives, the designer muses on the complexities and nuances of the Black Atlantic expressed throughout various disciplines, from essays and poems to paintings and portraits. Between the collection of Black poetry and photography books, Bonner draws a continuous line starting from In Our Terribleness through the Sweet Flypaper of Life to the Sweet Breath of Life. Discover these references in dialogue with one another, informing a new generation of artists and culminating into A Magazine Curated By Grace Wales Bonner.
In Memory of Greg Tate, whose profound thoughts examining contemporary culture in Flyboy in the Buttermilk (1992) continue to inspire the artists featured in this edition and beyond.
Figures in Black by Henry Louis Gates Jr.
The British Isles by Jamie Hawkesworth
Ming Smith: An Aperture Monograph by Ming Smith
ALS, H. (2017) James Baldwin/Jim Brown and the Children. Online: The Arts Institute.
BARAKA, A. FUNDI. (1970) In Our Terribleness. Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., New York.
BALDWIN, J. (1956) Giovanni’s Room. Dial Press. New York.
CAMPT. T. (2017) Listening to Images. Duke University Press. Durham, North Carolina.
DECARAVA, R. (1955) The Sweet Flypaper of Life. Simon & Schuster. New York.
FOSSO, S. (2020) Autoportrait. Steidl. Göttingen, Germany.
GATES, H.L. (1987) Figures in Black. Oxford University Press, New York.
HAWKESWORTH, J. (2021) The British Isles. Mack. London.
HEMPHILL, E. (1989) Looking for Langston [Film excerpt]. British Film Insititute. London.
HEMPHILL, E. (1991) Brother To Brother. Alyson Publications. Boston.
HUGHES, L. (1926) The Weary Blues. Knopf Publishing Group. New York.
JOHNSON ARTUR, L. (2016) Liz Johnson Artur. Bierke Publishing. Berlin.
OKRI, B. (1999) Mental Fight. Phoenix House. London.
REED, I. (1972) Mumbo Jumbo. Doubleday. Garden City, N.Y.
REED, I. (1971) Catechism of d neoamerican hoodoo church. P. Breman. London.
SASSEN.V. (2012) Parasomnia. Prestel Publishing. London.
SEPUYA, P.M. (2012) Studio Work. Familiar. New York.
SEPUYA, P.M. (2020) Paul Mpagi Sepuya. Aperture. New York.
SHANGE. N. (2004) The Sweet Breath of Life. Simon & Schuster. London.
SIDIBÉ, M. (1998) Mali Twist. Xavier Barral. Paris.
SMITH, M. (2020) Ming Smith: An Aperture Monograph. Aperture. New York
SORY, S. (2017) Volta Photo. Reel Art Press/Morton Hill. London.
SORY, S. (2019) Peuple de la nuit. Stanley/Barker. London.
STREULI, B. (2019) Fabric of Reality. Lars Müller Publishers. Zurich.
Driven by the concept that stadiums are modern-day temples, British artist and architect Jayden Ali invited the architect behind the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Chris Lee, and Spurs Women’s footballer, Lenna Gunning-Williams, to examine the physical spaces of sports.
‛Each human choice made along the way to that final product leaves an immaterial imprint. In forming a ready-to-wear business, I think we can create positive change by making more objects that possess that powerful energy simply by slowing down and growing with intention. Being highly intentional about what materials are used, who is sewing the garment, and who is making the pattern, every step of intentionality creates a final result that deeply affects people.’
For decades, the region has been presented to the outside world through a familiar set of images: silk roads and textiles, nomadic traditions and craft, ornament and folklore. While these references remain an important part of the story, they can obscure a more complex reality. The countries that make up Central Asia have spent the last century negotiating dramatic political and cultural change. Centuries-old traditions, the experience of Soviet modernity and the decades following independence all continue to shape contemporary life. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that questions of memory, inheritance and belonging recur so frequently in the work of the designers emerging from the region today.
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