Top 5 - Art and Lit Books to Add to Your Collection Right Now
Imagine if all our textbooks in school were books written, seen, curated and published by people who saw culture through the lens of the world we actually live in and the capabilities beyond. Art books are my loves! This week I’m sharing my top five art and lit reads with you!
Black Boy Fly by Joshua Renfroe — $50 | @joshuarenfroe_
I’m really enjoying books that navigate the world through Black men’s eyes and also makes room for diverse depictions of masculinity. Black Boy Fly is a Kendrick Lamar song, yes, but in this 240 page phonebook, Joshua Renfroe showcases Black male culture for both a social and cultural perspective from sneaker culture and fatherhood, to brotherhood and police brutality and beyond. As a whole, the work embodies the author’s own personal mission of celebrating his Blackness through art.
On God by Kwabena Foli — $20 | @kwabena_foli
A friend of mine posted this small book of poems, and as a lover of beautiful print products I was first drawn to the design, but stayed for the words. kwabena foli is a multidisciplinary artist born in Belgium and raised in South Side Chicago. On God is published by a house I personally admire Candor Arts, and the words covering love, matters of the self and personhood. Small publishing houses is a really great place to find great art.
Soft Rivering by Amy Badgett-Beck — $79 | @amyjenna
It’s so necessary to support the work of your friends, and recently I purchased a my friend’s Amy Beck’s absolutely gorgeous photobook which showcases not only Risographs as the printing process (there are 55 of them), but sweeping edge-to-edge large format prints of her 2017 vacation to Scotland. It’s personal, it’s technical, and truly impressive as a self-published piece of work.
I Can Make You Feel Good by Tyler Mitchell — $60 | @tylersphotos
Tyler Mitchell is a photographer and filmmaker based in Brooklyn, I Can Make You Feel good is a blissful, 206 page monograph celebrating the Mitchell’s distinctive vision of a Black identity which is utopic, black, fantastical, colorful, communal and deeply hopeful.
ICP.com states, “each page of I Can Make You Feel Good is full bleed and bathed in Mitchell’s signature candy-colored palette. With no white space visible, the book’s design mirrors the photographer’s all-encompassing vision and goes against the traditional photography book.”
The Money and Power Issue by CRWNMAG | @crwnmag
Did you really think I wouldn’t take a moment to showcase one of my CRWNMAG favorites? The Money & Power Issue features a thorough exploration of Black economic empowerment through historical context and practical advice while answering the questions through several lenses: How do we work together to positively shape culture and encourage Ownership in the Black community?
This and other questions are examined in depth, while we paint an honest picture of Black wealth — past, present & future — and the way forward. Featuring profiles of founders & executives from Blavity, SiriusXM, Unilever, Carol’s Daughter, celebrity hair stylists and more this issue is 164 pages of black hair culture and lifestyle.
The Eye by Kinfolk — $50 | @kinfolk
When it comes to contemporary lifestyle magazines, we know Kinfolk has it’s own. Voice and style. Nathan Williams, the founder of Kinfolk magazine, compiles over 90 of the world’s leading creative directors into the spotlight. Some of our favorite editorials were contributed or voiced by some of the top fashion designers, editorial directors and and tastemakers. We learn about the books they read, the mentors who guided them, and their individual techniques for achieving success, discovering how they developed their “eye”. Who better to learn from than some of the strongest visual voices themselves.
