Kevin D. Dumouchelle – författare

200 stunning images in this companion book to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art exhibition celebrate 70 LGBTQ+ African artistsWe are here. This powerful volume platforms artists whose work reflects their identities and experiences as African LGBTQ+ individuals. This is the largest survey of out queer African artists of its kind. Based on years of close collaboration and dialogue with these artists and their communities, The Here Project demonstrates how they are a part of a larger, joyful story of African art history. At the same time, the LGBTQ+ experience in Africa is not monolithic. Political, social, and cultural freedoms and limits vary widely across both the continent and the wider diaspora, and the artists represented here help readers recognize that diversity.More than 200 stunning images represent a range of media, including painting, photography, digital art, fashion, installation, and performance. The empowering and evocative imagery makes their lived and artistic experiences visible: Athi-Patra Ruga’s tapestry Versatile Queen presents himself as Versatile Queen Ivy, one of his favorite avatars inspired by Rihanna and the legend of Lady Godiva, to confront normative ideas of Blackness and masculinity, while Zanele Muholi’s self-portrait Muholi Muholi, Parktown uses makeup and saturation to highlight the blackness of their skin tone in contrast to prevailing representations of Black women.The text approaches artworks at an intimate level and places them in larger historical and artistic contexts. Grouping the works in thematic sections draws parallels across art and fosters ongoing conversations:Family: explores how birth and chosen families shape awareness of self and the worldIntimacy: considers self-realization through close connections such as loving interactions, deep companionship, and physical intimacy Joy: focuses on stories of happiness, connection, and pleasure that demonstrate resilienceSpirit: represents African faith traditions and shows space for queer peopleFluidity: disrupts expectations and transcends social conventions, including gendered categoriesBelong: asserts how queer people’s experiences are rooted in the larger history and cultures that shaped themAction: expresses political activism with artists defending their communities and advancing their rightsFutures: presents utopian visions of a world to come in which LGBTQ+ individuals are affirmed and thrivingThe Here Project is rare in its scope and scale and pays beautiful tribute to contemporary artists making essential work. The featured artists practice across the African continent and its global diaspora, using their work to speak their truths. They are united by a simple, shared declaration: We are here and always have been and will be. All that is left is for us to hear them.

This stunning tribute to African art features more than 200 photos, paintings, sculptures, and textiles from the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art's collections.This marvelous volume features the African art collection of Michigan state legislator Jack Faxon (1936–2020) bequeathed to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art. African Art Works looks at how artists, communities, and collectors have sought to make change in their own personal lives, in their social interactions, and in their relationships to the world and beyond, through art.African Art Works places Faxon's collection in conversation with mid-20th to 21st-century works from the museum to look at how artists across the range of time, media, and geographies the museum collects solved problems, such as:Cultivating healthy relationships with the environment: A 20th-century crest mask used in performances that honor the Ijo community's relationship with water is paired with a 2016 statue Tree Woman by Wangechi Mutu depicting a body intertwined with nature.Conserving scarce resources: An early to mid-20th-century milk pail used by a Zulu community paired with a 2013 haute couture dress that serves as a powerful statement about the richness of Africa's resources and the violence they can spark.Calling community together in danger: An early 20th century slit gong that can carry powerful sound over long distances and could help notify a community of threat is paired with a 1970 etching depicting the fear and anxiety during Nigeria's civil war.Essays reflect on the role of art as a call to action, the act of collecting African art, and Jack Faxon's legacy driven by his work in the arts, education, and public service. African Art Works is a stunning and enlightening tribute to art that works to transform the world.