screenshot of New York Times slideshow of flow: studio museum of harlem

Afropolitanism is the modish tag for new work made by young African artists both in and outside Africa. What unites the artists is a shared view of Africa, less as a place than as a concept; a cultural force. This idea, or something like it, lies behind “Flow” at the Studio Museum in Harlem, a fine-textured survey of 20 artists who, with a few exceptions, were born in Africa after 1970 but who now live in Europe or the United States.

i checked out the exhibition last weekend. the works stand on their own as contemporary art that happens to address african themes and subject matter, which frees the work from the “ethnic” connotation that would otherwise diminish its relevance beyond africa. highlights include mustafa maluka’s post-modern, urban/pop culture inspired paintings, as well “lolo” veleko’s landmark street portraits of jo’burg fashionistas”beauty is in the eye of the beholder“.

if you are in the NYC area or plan to be, take that trip uptown. this is a must-see art show.

I felt like black culture was representing itself in a really narrow way. It’s ridiculous for a white boy to look at that and say ‘well maybe I can do something about it’. But that is what happened and I said, you know I would like to make a video that depicted black culture that wasn’t African-American culture but was African culture that wasn’t obsessed as a lot of the hip hop videos were in that period, and still are, with materialism and sexism. I just felt there’s got to be other aspects of black culture to depict and that was the manifesto I made for myself.

Mark Romanek’s comments in “Director’s Series Vol. 4 - Work of Director Mark Romanek” on the making of Janet Jackson’s “Got It ‘Til It’s Gone”.

music video: for estelle’s new song “wait a minute (just a touch)”. estelle’s easy rhymes about ghetto life in london on her collaboration with ben watt on “pop a cap in yo’ ass” was the best thing about buzzin’ fly vol. 2. good to see her get some wider exposure for her MC/vocal skills via john legend’s new label.

andrew dosunmu-directed video
yousou n’dour “birima” [some shots in this video seem influenced by mark romanek’s “got til it’s gone” that itself was influenced by 60’s/70’s photography].
common “sixth sense”
patrice “soulstorm”
manic street preachers “let robeson sing”