As the year comes to an end, we are excited to share six essential African art books published in 2024 that explore Africa’s artistic and cultural consciousness.
Tunji Adeniyi-Jones: Encounters
Published by Neuendorf Ltd, Encounters is a monographic publication that looks back at British-Nigerian Tunji Adeniyi-Jones’ artistic output over the course of his career to date. Adeniyi-Jones is a painter whose work is heavily steeped in West African aesthetics; his imagery is a dedication and an homage – a preservation of his Yoruban heritage that also questions idolatry from a distinctly diasporic perspective. Marking Adeniyi-Jones’ inclusion in the Nigerian Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, the book features the artist’s paintings, works on paper, and prints and features essays by Albert Neuendorf and Ekow Eshun, as well as a conversation between Adeniyi-Jones and Osei Bonsu.
Lindokuhle Sobekwa: I carry Her photo with Me
South African artist Lindokuhle Sobekwa began this project after finding a family portrait with his late sister’s face cut out. Employing a scrapbook aesthetic with handwritten notes, I carry Her photo with Me is a means for Sobekwa to engage both with the memory of his sister and the wider implications of such disappearances – a troubling part of South Africa’s history. Published by Mack Books, the book complements his wider work on fragmentation, poverty, and the long-reaching ramifications of apartheid and colonialism across all levels of South African society. It includes a long-form essay by writer and scholar Neelika Jayawardane.
Hady Barry: i am (not) your mother
Hady Barry is a Guinean-American artist whose practice involves photography and sound. Her self-published photobook “i am (not) your mother” interlaces portraits and documentary photographs, archival imagery, journal entries, and transcribed conversations, unpacking the trauma of an adolescence cut short by the tremendous responsibilities of parenting. The book’s imagery alternates between the vivid, nostalgic palette of rediscovered family photographs and the black-and-white of Barry’s own austere pictures of nature, people, and interiors. i am (not) your mother is a confrontation of the trauma Barry experienced during her teenage years and how it continues to shape her relationship with her mother. The book recently won the Juror’s Special Mention from the 2024 Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards.
In Bodega Run, Tschabalala Self examines the complexities of the New York City bodega through her vibrant paintings, sculptures, and installations alongside newly commissioned essays. Working across a range of mediums, including large-scale painting, printmaking, sculpture, collage, and installation, Tschabalala Self’s works often focus on stories of urban life, the body, and humanity to explore cultural attitudes toward race and gender. Taking its title from the celebrated series of installations which culminated in a 2019 exhibition at Los Angeles’ Hammer Museum, Bodega Run documents Self’s multiyear-long exploration of the bodega―corner-store fixtures of New York City neighborhoods―as both a gathering place for community and a microcosm of the shifting political and economic forces that impact the lives of city dwellers, particularly of Black and Latin descent.
Zanele Muholi: Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness, Volume II
In Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness, Volume II, Zanele Muholi explores and expands upon notions of Blackness and the myriad possibilities of the self. Since the publication of the first volume in 2018, Muholi has continued to photograph themself in a range of new international locations. Drawing on different materials or found objects referencing their environment, a specific event or lived experience, Muholi boldly explores their own image and innate possibilities as a Black individual in today’s global society, and—most important—speaks emphatically in response to contemporary and historical racism. Powerfully arresting, this collection further amplifies Muholi’s expressive and radical manifesto. As they state in the first volume, “My practice as a visual activist looks at Black resistance—existence as well as insistence.”
Esther Mahlangu: To Paint is in My Heart
To Paint is in My Heart is a captivating exploration of the life and work of iconic South African painter, Esther Mahlangu, one of the most influential artists of Pan-African Contemporary Art. With contributions from Thomas Girst, Azu Nwagbogu, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Nontobeko Ntombela, Pitika Ntuli, and Thebe Magugu, To Paint is in My Heart celebrates Mahlangu’s remarkable journey as a pioneer of contemporary African art, whose vibrant and distinctive paintings have captured the hearts of many worldwide. Through a series of interviews with Mahlangu, conducted by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Azu Nwagbogu, and Thomas Girst, readers will gain insight into her creative process, inspiration, and the cultural significance of her work. With stunning visuals and engaging narratives, this book offers an inspiring experience to the reader. The book is forthcoming in January 2025
Iyanuoluwa Adenle is a Nigerian art writer, essayist, and poet based in Lagos. She is currently the head writer at Omenai. Adenle has contributed to a number of art publications, including Tender Photo, Art News Africa, Pavillon 54, and Omenai.
