{"title":"Series: Richard D. Cohen Lectures on African \u0026 African American Art","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"alain-locke-and-the-visual-arts-by-kobena-mercer-9780300247268","title":"Alain Locke and the Visual Arts","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA fresh perspective on the influential critic, offering new ways of understanding the art of the Harlem Renaissance.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCritic and theorist Alain Locke (1885–1954) was a foundational figure of the Harlem Renaissance who argued that changing self-perceptions among Black artists and writers would alter America’s view of itself as a whole. Offering a new interpretation of Locke’s influential writings, Kobena Mercer focuses on the importance of cross-cultural entanglement and positions the philosopher as an advocate for an Afromodern aesthetic that drew from both formal experiments in Europe and the iconic legacy of the African past.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMercer considers Locke’s understudied 1940 picture book, \u003cem\u003eThe Negro in Art\u003c\/em\u003e, a global history of the Black image, and argues for the significance of Black queer practices within the history of modernism. With this book—a deft blend of philosophy, cultural studies, and art history, enlivened with illustrations by artists including Richmond Barthé, Aaron Douglas, and Loïs Mailou Jones—Mercer demonstrates that Locke envisioned modern art as a dynamic space where images and ideas would circulate widely, generating new hybrid forms from the fluid conditions of diaspora.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47462589497580,"sku":"9780300247268","price":83.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780300247268-alain-locke-and-the-visual-arts.jpg?v=1775017044"},{"product_id":"beyond-aesthetics-by-wole-soyinka-9780300247626","title":"Beyond Aesthetics","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn intimate reflection on culture and tradition, creativity and power, that draws on a lifetime’s commitment to aesthetic encounter.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe playwright, poet, essayist, novelist, and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka is also a longtime art collector. This book of essays offers a glimpse into the motivations of the collector, as well as a highly personal look at the politics of aesthetics and collecting. Detailing moments of first encounter with objects that drew him in and continue to affect him, Soyinka describes a world of mortals, muses, and deities that imbue the artworks with history and meaning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBeyond Aesthetics\u003c\/em\u003e is a passionate discussion of the role of identity, tradition, and originality in making, collecting, and exhibiting African art today. Soyinka considers objects that have stirred controversy, and he decries dogmatic efforts—whether colonial or religious—to suppress Africa’s artistic traditions. By turns poetic, provocative, and humorous, Soyinka affirms the power of collecting to reclaim tradition. He urges African artists, filmmakers, collectors, and curators to engage with their aesthetic and cultural histories.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePublished in association with the Hutchins Center for African \u0026amp; African American Research.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47470105166060,"sku":"9780300247626","price":53.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780300247626-beyond-aesthetics.jpg?v=1775212090"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/series-richard-d-cohen-lectures-on-african-african-american-art.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}