Just a quickie ...
... because Covid is still a thing
Hello subscribers!
I hope you’re all keeping well.
Unluckily for me, I recently caught Covid, for the third time. A 12 day infection has left me fatigued and foggy of brain, so this week’s post is something simple. As it’s Black History Month here in the UK, I have created a very short list of black photographers and artists, and I invite you to investigate their work.
Vanley Burke came to Birmingham, UK (my home city), in 1965. He began documenting his new home in 1967 and continues to do so to this day. He has captured the black community at work and play, whilst demonstrating against police brutality, at weddings and at funerals. They depict the joys, pain and beauty of everyday life in a way that is both powerful and relatable. This was a revolutionary act, because mainstream media was absolutely not interested in the lives of Afro-Caribbeans in the 1970s and 1980s.
Burke's work has been exhibited in galleries around the world, including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Ikon. His images have been used in textbooks and academic papers, and have been referenced by scholars and artists alike. But what sets Burke apart is not just his technical skill or his critical eye, it's his ability to infuse warmth, humour, and humanity into his work. His images are not just documents of a community, they are invitations to connect with that community on a deeper level.
In the 60s and 70s the way that black people were represented was in derogatory statements like 'lazy' or 'go back home'
People came to Britain to serve in the two world wars and contribute to this country, but they were not being represented in a meaningful way.
I was interested in tackling that, because I did not see the life that I was living, and of people in my community, reflected in the media.
Burke’s photography resonates with me because it is me. Images like these were never seen when I was young, so it’s a revelation to me that Burke’s photography is a critcal and artistic success. It is my family. It is my friends. It is how we look, what we wear, what we eat, the music we listen to, the way we decorated our homes. It is about not being other, but just being.
Further reading
Bonus: Vanley Burke's Desert Island Discs
Delphine Diallo is a French photographer, now resident in America. Diallo’s work focuses on dismantling the Eurocentric male gaze by portraying black women as goddesses and powerful beings.
Diallo’s work formed part of the Black Venus exhibition held at Somerset House earlier this year.
Further reading
The Black Venus curator talks about the exhibition
Watch Portrait Photography with Delphine Diallo | ZEISS Full Exposure ep.14 (41 minutes)
Fact: I met Diallo at Photo London earlier this year. She is very eloquent and passionate about her work. I tried hard to act cool and knowledgeable and non-fangirly but it didn’t work.
Known as Normski, Anderson was prominent in the music scene in the 1980s, as both a photographer and fashion designer. He also fronted seminal tv shows Dance Energy and DEF II. His work was often featured in Echoes, a weekly newspaper featuring hip hop, jazz, reggae and soul music.
Further reading
Photographs From The Golden Age of UK Hip Hop
Hip Hop at 50 Through The Lens of Photographer Normski
Carrie Mae Weems is a renowned photographer and filmmaker whose work has made a significant impact in the world of art. She is known for her powerful images that challenge viewers to think critically about issues of race, gender, and power. Through her art, Weems has created a platform for marginalized voices and has helped to shape the way we think about representation and identity in the visual arts.
Her most famous body of work is The Kitchen Table Series (1990), in which the kitchen table is framed as a site of battle in race, gender and power.
Further reading
Carrie Mae Weems discusses her process (16 minutes)
Carrie Mae Weems discusses The Kitchen Table series (3 minutes)
Carrie Mae Weems: The Shape of Things
Kara Walker is an African American artist who is known for her thought-provoking and controversial works that explore themes of race, gender, sexuality, and power. Her art takes the form of large-scale silhouettes, drawings, paintings, and installations that challenge viewers to confront the darker aspects of American history and identity.
Notable works include:
A Subtlety, which caused huge controversy when it opened.
Fons Americanus, which Walker ordered to be destroyed once its tenure at Tate Modern was over.
Willard Wigan MBE, is another Birmingham artist. I also know him, so I’m biased, but with good reason: he is very talented and a rather lovely man to boot.
Wigan is a sculptor who creates small works of art that are often no larger than a grain of sand. His pieces are so tiny that they can only be viewed through a microscope. Despite the challenges posed by working at such a small scale, Wigan's attention to detail and craftsmanship are unparalleled. Wigan’s work pushes the boundaries of what is possible in the realm of sculpture and challenges us to think about the relationship between art and the human eye. Despite facing numerous obstacles throughout his life, including dyslexia and bullying, Wigan has persevered and become one of the most innovative sculptors of our time.
If you have a spare £1,000,000 lying about (and who doesn’t), perhaps you’d like to purchase The Golden Dragon, the creation of which resulted in Wigan suffering from burst blood vessels in his eyes. Talk about suffering for your art.
Further reading
Watch - How this Guy Makes the World’s Smallest Handmade Sculptures | Obsessed | WIRED (9 minutes)
Thank you for reading.
Stay safe
elle
A wonderful piece ! Despite being ill you have continued to keep on writing - and this time I was the student -discovering some new artists that I can share with this years learners for Black History Month 🖤
I hope you feel better soon. Three times Covid really sucks! 😣