Latest News on Black Arts features the latest updates and developments in the world of arts and related culture.
The 2026 and 2028 Fourth Plinth shortlists: Clockwise from top left: “Ancient Feelings” by Thomas J. Price, “Sweet Potatoes and Yams are Not the Same” by Veronica Ryan, “Hornero” by Gabriel Chail, and “Lady in Blue” by Tshabalala Self. | Photo by James O. Jenkins
Public Art
The Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London, has become an important platform for public art. New proposals by seven artists have been shortlisted to be commissioned on the Fourth Plinth in 2026 and 2028. The artists are Chila Kumari Singh Burman, Gabrielle Chail, Ruth Yuan, Thomas J. Price, Veronica Ryan, Tshabalala Self and Andra Ursa. Sculptural models of all their proposals are on display at the National Gallery until March 17. The public is invited to vote for their favourite works. Ultimately, two projects will be selected by the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group, taking into account public feedback. Funding for the competition is provided by the Mayor of London and supported by Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Currently, the Fourth Plinth is home to Samson Kambal's Antelope.The sculpture, inspired by a 1914 photograph of Pan-Africanist and Baptist preacher John Chilembwe (1871-1915) and his friend, white European missionary John Chorley, will be on display until September. (2/19) | The Guardian
life
On Saturday, February 24 (2-6pm), Jack Shainman Gallery in New York celebrates the life and memory of Radcliffe Bailey (1968-2023). The Atlanta-born artist explored themes of ancestry, race, migration and collective memory in painting, sculpture and mixed media. The gallery worked with Bailey from 1998 until his death in November. | Learn more
Image: Top right, Radcliffe Bailey. | Photo by Lamont Hamilton
Awards and Honors
The Judith Alexander Foundation announced the inaugural Nellie May Rowe Awards at the Atlanta African Diaspora Art Museum's (ADAMA) annual Flowers x Seeds fundraising and awards ceremony on February 16. Artist Arturo Lindsay received the Flowers Award ($30,000 prize), given to an established but lesser known figure. The Seeds Award ($20,000 prize), which “spotlights an early- to mid-career artist whose innovative work has the potential to rewrite contemporary understandings of Black art and culture in the 21st century,” was awarded to Kelly Taylor Mitchell. Both artists are affiliated with Spelman College. Mitchell is an assistant professor of art and visual culture in the women's department at the Atlanta HBCU, and Lindsay is a professor emeritus and former chair of the art history department. Judith Alexander (1932-2004) was a Georgia art gallery director who was instrumental in drawing attention to the life and work of artist Nellie May Rowe. ADAMA was founded by Atlanta artist Fahamu Pecou in 2018. (2/17) | Details
Oluremi Onabanjo. | Photo by Austin Donahue. © 2024 The Museum of Modern Art, New York
schedule
Oluremi C. Onabanjo is currently the Peter Shub Curator of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. In 2021, Onabanjo joined MoMA as Associate Curator of Photography. She was officially promoted in January. During her tenure, she organized the exhibitions Project: Ming Smith (2023) and New Photography 2023: Kelani Abass, Akinbode Akinbiyi, Yagazie Emeji, Amanda Iheme, Abraham Ogobase, Carl Ohiri, and Logo Oluwamuyiwa. Previously, she was Director of Exhibitions and Collections at the Walther Collection. Most recently, she joined the curatorial team for the 8th Hamburg Photography Triennale (2022), wrote Ming Smith: Invisible Man, Somewhere, Anywhere and edited Marilyn Nance: The Last Days of Lagos.This book was featured on Culture Type's list of Best Black Art Books of 2022. (2/8) | Details
The 2025 edition of the Hammer Museum's Made in LA Biennial will be co-curated by Essence Harden and Paulina Povocha, senior curator at the Hammer Museum. Harden is a curator at the California African American Museum (CAAM) in Los Angeles. At Frieze Los Angeles (February 29-March 3), Harden will curate the art fair's Focus section and will be in conversation with artist Deborah Roberts at Wielmetter Los Angeles on March 2. Made in LA will be presented in collaboration with CAAM in fall 2025. (2/13) | Learn more
The Smithsonian American Women's History Museum has announced a committee of scholars who will help guide the content, programs and research of the upcoming museum. The 15-member committee includes Keisha N. Blaine, professor of African studies and history at Brown University; Paula J. Giddings, Elizabeth A. Woodson Professor Emeritus of African studies at Smith College; and Kimberly A. Scott, professor of women's and gender studies in the School of Social Change at Arizona State University. Melanie Adams, director of the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum, is also interim director of the women's history museum, which is scheduled to open in about a decade. In March, the museum will launch new initiatives and digital exhibitions in honor of Women's History Month. (2/13) | Learn more
Image: Top left, Made in LA 2025 co-curators Essence Harden (left) and Paulina Povocha. | Photo by Lauren Randolph
Jared McGriff, “Measure My Diameter in Light Years,” 2023 (oil on canvas, 58 ¹⁄₄ x 60 in.). © Jared McGriff, courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Expression
Vielmetter Los Angeles has announced that it will represent Jared McGriff, a self-taught artist who describes his paintings as “fiction about reality.” Vielmetter presented the artist's first solo exhibition at the gallery, “Jared McGriff: On Being a Wild Dream,” in March 2023. According to Vielmetter, McGriff “has created a luminous, shimmering visual language that foregrounds the spaces of memory. His expressionist paintings evoke ordinary moments and paint them with ethereal brushstrokes, transforming everyday scenes into ephemeral philosophical musings.” McGriff lives and works in Miami, Florida, where he is working on new work for a solo exhibition at Vielmetter in spring 2025. He is also represented by Spinello Projects in Miami. (2/5) | See more
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