LAWSON, Dhyandra (ed.)
Imagining Black Diasporas: 21st Century Art and Poetics

This project was born out of frustration with art histories that emphasize Black artists’ resilience over the aesthetic impact of their work. The experiences of oppression Black people endure are inconceivable, yet this focus on resilience often overwhelms critical attention to Black artists’ ideas, innovations or use of materials. Imagining Black Diasporas defines “diaspora’’ more broadly, understanding it as a dynamic term that evolves with Black experience. Through four themes, the book illuminates aesthetic connections among established and emerging US–based artists in dialogue with artists working in Africa, the Caribbean, South America and Europe. [publishers’ note]

Artists include: Mark Bradford, Lorna Simpson, Calida Rawles, El Anatsui, Josué Azor, Isaac Julien, Frida Orupabo, Theaster Gates, Yinka Shonibare, Wangechi Mutu.

Text by Dhyandra Lawson, Dionne Brand, Ytasha Womack. Additional contributions by Sammy Baloji, Widline Cadet, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Frida Orupabo. Afterword by Michael Govan.

Exhibition presented at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and then the Arizona State University Art Museum,in 2024-25.

Published by Delmonico Books / LACMA, 2025
Exhibition Catalogues