Atlanta Art Week Recommended Reading

All Images courtesy of Artbook & D.A.P. (From top left : Stanley Whitney: How High The Moon, Pippa Garner: $ELL YOUR $ELF, Mickalene Thomas: All About Love. From bottom: left: Cyberfeminism Index, Barkley L. Hendricks: Solid!, Housing: Strategies for Urban Redensification )

Check out Atlanta Art Week Team picks for the season.

As May ushers in the bustling art season, the AAW Team has curated a collection of six compelling reads that delve into the multifaceted realm of contemporary art, weaving together themes of culture, identity, and innovation.

Immerse yourself in the dynamic artworks of Mickalene Thomas, where boundaries of beauty and femininity are boldly redefined. Delve into Pippa Garner's unconventional ideas that challenge traditional notions of consumerism. Experience the vivid abstractions of Stanley Whitney, inviting you on a captivating journey through color and form. Encounter Barkley L. Hendricks' poignant portrayals of everyday Black life, capturing moments of authenticity and resilience. Venture into the realm of Cyberfeminism, exploring its radical activism and reshaping of societal norms. Lastly, rethink urban planning with insights into alternative social housing projects that prioritize community and sustainability.

These books not only celebrate artistic brilliance but also ignite crucial dialogues on societal dynamics, politics, and the evolving landscape of art today.

*In no particular order

Stanley Whitney: How High The Moon

Edited with introduction by Cathleen Chaffee. Foreword by Janne Sirén. Text by Kim Conaty, Ruth Erickson, Duro Olowu, Pavel S. Pys. Poetry by Norma Cole. Interview by Grégoire Lubineau.

Aretha, 2018 Oil on linen72 x 72 inches (182.9 x 182.9 cm) Collection of Jill Bernstein. Image courtesy of Artbook & D.A.P.

Over the course of five decades, Stanley Whitney, a highly regarded American painter, has dedicated himself to creating vibrant and rhythmic immersive abstract artworks. In the last twenty years Whitney, he has adopted a method of structuring his paintings into loose grids, providing a consistent framework for exploring a wide range of expressions. This technical approach shifts the focus away from the specific subjects depicted in each painting towards eliciting dynamic responses from viewers through the use of color, thereby fostering an engaging interaction with the artworks.

“The first in-depth survey of Whitney’s endless experimentation with color”

The current exhibition marks Whitney's inaugural museum survey in North America, showcasing a collection of 170 paintings and works on paper spanning from the 1970s to the present day. It encompasses large-scale paintings defined by loose grids, improvisational smaller works, drawings, prints, and insights into the artist's sketchbooks, offering a glimpse into his engagement with written language and political themes.

Born near Philadelphia in 1946, Whitney's artistic evolution was influenced by his tutelage under notable figures such as Philip Guston and Robert Reed, as well as by his admiration for artists like Jack Whitten, Josef Albers, and Piet Mondrian. His exploration of abstraction has resulted in a unique body of work that seamlessly integrates art with elements of architecture, textiles, and music, showcasing his unwavering commitment to exploring the limitless possibilities within the realm of abstraction. The exhibition's accompanying catalog features an introduction penned by Cathleen Chaffee, scholarly examinations of Whitney's artworks, a chronological overview, and illustrations of all the exhibited works.

https://www.artbook.com/9781636811048.html

Pippa Garner: $ELL YOUR $ELF

Edited by Sara O’Keeffe. Text by Nayland Blake, Pippa Garner, House of Ladosha, Chip Lord, Philippa Snow, McKenzie Wark, et al.

Pippa Garner, Kar-Mann (Half Human, Half Car) (1969). Courtesy the artist and STARS, Los Angeles.

"Pippa Garner: $ELL YOUR $ELF" provides an immersive journey into the artistic evolution of Pippa Garner, a visionary artist whose work spans five decades and encompasses gender hacking, custom cars, and unconventional proposals to solve everyday problems. This publication coincides with Garner's inaugural institutional exhibition in New York and offers readers access to her previously unpublished writings, including personal narratives about her gender transition-as-performance. The book features contributions from contemporaries and admirers such as McKenzie Wark, Nayland Blake, and Chip Lord.

Filled with hundreds of never-before-seen images showcasing Garner's drawings, garments, and classified ads, the publication sheds light on her unique approach to addressing and satirizing the contradictions of commodity fetishism from the 1960s to the present day. Garner's work embraces pleasure, kink, and the subversion of mass-produced goods, envisioning ways to reimagine environments, everyday objects, and concepts of self. Throughout her career, Garner has blurred the boundaries between art and life, often implementing projects beyond traditional gallery spaces, thus challenging conventional notions of artistic practice.

With its rich illustrations and thought-provoking content, "Pippa Garner: $ELL YOUR $ELF" establishes Garner as a significant and provocative voice in contemporary art, highlighting her indispensable contributions to shaping our understanding of art, culture, and consumerism.

https://www.artbook.com/9781945711183.html

Mickalene Thomas: All About Love

Text by Beverly Guy-Sheftall with Kristian Conteras, Darnell L. Moore, Claudia Rankine, Ed Schad, Christine Y. Kim, Renée Mussai. Interview by Rachel Thomas.

Qusuquzah Sitting With Pink Flower in Hand, 2018. Image courtesy of Artbook & D.A.P.

New York-based artist Mickalene Thomas is celebrated for her vibrant paintings adorned with rhinestones, showcasing her extensive body of work across various mediums like painting, collage, print, photography, video, and installations. Influenced by diverse sources from 19th-century art to popular culture, Thomas' art presents a nuanced and empowering perspective on womanhood while challenging conventional ideas of beauty, sexuality, fame, and politics. This major survey publication reinforces Thomas' position as a significant figure in contemporary art, presenting her notable works organized into thematic chapters.

The book includes an interview with the artist by Rachel Thomas, followed by essays from prominent writers like Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Darnell L. Moore, Claudia Rankine, Ed Schad, T.K. Smith, and Christine Y. Kim. These essays delve into Thomas' unique visual language, exploring themes of intergenerational female empowerment, autobiography, memory, and Black feminist theory. They discuss how Thomas reinterprets art history to reclaim ideas of repose, rest, and leisure in her works, which celebrate self-expression and joy. For Thomas, the act of repose is revolutionary, symbolizing agency and potential. Mickalene Thomas, born in 1971, is an internationally recognized multidisciplinary artist known for her distinctive use of rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel in elaborate portraits of Black women.

https://www.artbook.com/9781636812991.html

Cyberfeminism Index

Edited with introduction by Mindy Seu. Foreword by Julianne Pierce of VNS Matrix. Afterword by Legacy Russell.

Cornelia Sollfrank, Female Extension, 1997. Image courtesy of Artbook & D.A.P.

The Cyberfeminism Index, edited by Mindy Seu, represents a diverse range of voices from hackers, scholars, artists, and activists of various backgrounds. It challenges traditional narratives of internet history that focus solely on engineering and the military-industrial complex. Instead, the Index highlights the internet as a dynamic environment shaped by its users and their interactions.

The creation and utilization of the Cyberfeminism Index are seen as social and political acts, pushing the concept of cyberfeminism into the forefront. It features over 1,000 entries covering radical techno-critical activism across different media, including academic excerpts, descriptions of hackerspaces and digital rights groups, bio-hacktivism, and feminist net art. This comprehensive collection serves as a platform for exploring how humans can reconstruct themselves through technology, reflecting the diverse perspectives and experiences within the digital landscape.

https://www.artbook.com/blog-cyberfeminism-index.html

Housing: Strategies for Urban Redensification

Edited with text by Miquel Adrià. Foreword by Alejandro Aravena. Text by Andrea Griborio

Kazuyo Sejima & Associates. Gifu Kitagata apartment building. Motosu, Japan, 2000. Image courtesy of Artbook & D.A.P

Housing: Strategies for Urban Redensification delves into innovative approaches to urban housing that diverge from traditional expansionist models. It challenges the idea that continual urban sprawl is sustainable, emphasizing the strain it places on land resources and the environment. Instead, the reader advocates for redensification as a more effective urban planning strategy. It presents a collection of case studies showcasing various social housing projects from the past century that have successfully implemented redensification methods. These projects range from the Weißenhofsiedlung Estate in 1927 to contemporary architectural experiments in suburban Mexico as recent as 2017. These alternatives not only address the challenges of rapid population growth but also offer refuge for communities displaced by natural disasters.

https://www.artbook.com/9786078880232.html

Barkley L. Hendricks: Solid!

Edited by Zoé Whitley. Text by Duro Olowu, Richard J. Powell, John Jennings, Susan Thompson. Conversation between Trevor Schoonmaker and Susan Hendricks.

Barkley L. Hendricks Untitled, 1978 archival inkjet print 24 x 16 inches. Courtesy of the Estate of Barkley L.Hendricks and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Image courtesy of Artbook & D.A.P

Barkley L. Hendricks, a prominent American painter of the late 20th century, is renowned for his diverse artistic talents spanning six decades. His artistic repertoire includes portraits, landscapes, geometric abstractions, watercolors, and photographs influenced by Walker Evans. This final installment of a five-volume set dedicated to him, a 300-page monograph titled "Solid!", captures his evolution as a portraitist.

"Solid!" compiles Hendricks' acclaimed figurative paintings, featuring large-scale canvases of individuals in unique attire against solid backgrounds, including self-portraits. Critical essays by curators and artists offer personal insights into Hendricks' practice, exploring his photography experimentation, expertise in combining oil and water-based pigments, and genuine interpretations of women, queer identities, and Black communities. The book concludes with a conversation between Trevor Schoonmaker and Susan Hendricks, Barkley's widow, discussing their travels and his artistic process.

Born in Philadelphia in 1945, Barkley L. Hendricks inspired generations of artists with his life-sized paintings of everyday Black Americans. While he briefly pursued photography, he returned to oil portraits and taught at Connecticut College until 2010.

https://www.artbook.com/9788857241494.html