3 Amazing Artists Propelling Afrofuturism Forward
Afrofuturism was coined in 1993 by author Mark Dery in an essay titled “Black To The Future,” comprised of a discussion between Dery plus Black science fiction writers and cultural critics Samuel Delany, Greg Tate, and Tricia Rose. In the piece, Dery defines Afrofuturism as “speculative fiction that treats African American themes and concerns in the context of 20th-century techno-culture and more generally African American signification that appropriates images of technology and a prosthetically enhanced future.” Therefore, with Afrofuturism, technology and sci-fi are major components interwoven into the works of Black creators.
Furthermore, writer Nakia Hicks notes in the debut print issue of EDITION, “The Afrofuturism movement also reaches back into history, employing literature, music, art, and film, to tell the futuristic narrative of Blackness, void of white supremacy and oppression. Its imagery removes the Black subject from a subservient posture and into a place of power with a science fiction, otherworldly majesty.”
Artists such as Sedrick Chisom, Wangechi Mutu, and Juliana Huxtable have created awe-inspiring artwork that speaks to the theme of Afrofuturism. From stunning dystopian-style paintings to sculptures that buck at the notion of stereotypes, these artists highlight a concept in which time isn’t a factor. Afrofuturism existed long before its definition and will continue to inspire visionaries beyond the present.
Here, we take a deeper dive into mesmerizing artwork created by Chisom, Mutu, and Huxtable.
Sedrick Chisom
In a 2017 interview with Young Space Gallery, artist Sedrick Chisom said, “I’m just as much invested in making inventive paintings as I am about picking a fight to make my arguments about culture. The argument I’m making has to do with the colonial history of Black spirituality being invaded by Christianity— a western religion that naturalizes and even delegitimizes suffering...I’m pairing martyrs and other Christian subjects with Black Lives Matters imagery to meditate on this mentality and this state of being.” So, his artwork features many sources, including medieval Christian iconography, Western mythology, and science fiction. In addition, Chisom's paintings depict a post-apocalyptic world that spotlight the tropes of racial stereotypes, white supremacy, and religion. Influenced by thermal vision imagery, Chisom’s artwork highlights the idea of viewing culture and the world through a Black perspective.
The Occidental Tower The Capitol Citadel of The Alt-Rightland was Naturally Situated Over a Lake of Fire
An Altrightlander Contemplates Fourteen Words to Live By, the Eve Before the Holy War in the Valley of the Rocks
Wangechi Mutu
Kenyan-born American visual artist Wangechi Mutu is known for her powerful and spectacular collages, videos, and sculptures. Specifically, her collages feature fashion, pornography, and travel magazine cut-outs, along with clippings from books about traditional African art. In addition, the photo-based collages are often combined with abstract patterns, which evoke familiarity and an ethereal element to the works. The resulting artwork offers a reprimand of what’s interpreted as beauty from Western cultural standards. Moreover, Mutu’s work explores gender, race, war, colonialism, global consumption, and the Black female body.
Mama Ray
Riding Death in My Sleep
Juliana Huxtable
In the ethereal world of multimedia artist Juliana Huxtable, art is more than just a form of expression - it’s a lifestyle. Influenced by her LGBTQIA+ activism and brush with nightlife subcultures, she examines sociopolitical ideologies and identity. Initially, Huxtable used Tumblr and Instagram to share her creativity via imagery that dealt with sexuality and futurism. Eventually, Huxtable’s selfies gained the attention of the then curator of the New Museum, Lauren Cornell, who included her in the museum’s triennial in 2015. Huxtable often employs vivid self-portraiture and text-based prints, plus performance and electronic music, doubling as a revered DJ. Recurring themes in Huxtable’s artwork include human-creature fusions, striking colorways, and her own nude body.
Untitled (Psychosocial Stuntin’)
Untitled (Lil’ Marvel)
Tags: Gabrielle Pharms, web-original, Art, Sedrick Chisom, Juliana Huxtable, Wangechi Mutu, Afrofuturism,
Photography by: Neil Rasmus/BFA.COM
