A psychedelic cornucopia on the revolutionary art collective that defined a new Black aesthetic in late 1960s ChicagoAFRICOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists) was founded on the South Side of Chicago in 1968 by a collective of young Black artists, whose interest in Transnational Black Aesthetics led them to create one of the most distinctive visual voices in 20th-century American art. The key characteristics of what we now consider the classic AFRICOBRA look--vibrant, "cool-ade" colors, bold text, shine and positive images of Black people--were essential to everyday life in the community from which this movement emerged. It is a movement with roots in the soil, streets, classrooms, studios and living rooms of the South Side of Chicago, yet its influence has extended around the world. This survey represents the first major appraisal of AFRICOBRA's work in Europe and builds on the exhibition AFRICOBRA: Messages to the People, which premiered at MOCA North Miami during Art Basel Miami 2018. Artists include: Jeff Donaldson, Jae Jarrell, Wadsworth Jarrell, Barbara Jones-Hogu, Napoleon Jones-Henderson, Nelson Stevens and Gerald Williams.--Caroline Goldstein "Artnet"
A major publication about the revolutionary art collective that defined a new Black aesthetic in late 1960s Chicago and whose influence today is stronger than everAfriCOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists) was founded on the South Side of Chicago in 1968 by a group of five young Black artists. Today, it is one of the oldest continuously active American art collectives. The pronunciation--Af-FREE-co-bruh--emphasizes the second syllable, signaling the group's central principle grounded in Black liberation: creative expression reflecting the Black experience and Black influences.
AfriCOBRA's founding artists--Jeff Donaldson, Jae Jarrell, Wadsworth Jarrell, Barbara Jones-Hogu and Gerald Williams--differed in disciplines and artistic vocabularies but were brought together by the common aspiration to create work that speaks directly to Black people utilizing an identifiably Black aesthetic. This publication celebrates the fifty-year anniversary of AfriCOBRA's founding and marks the collective's powerful relevance today. AfriCOBRA: Messages to the People documents two exhibitions curated by Jeffreen M. Hayes, PhD: one at the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, and another as an official collateral event of the 58th Venice Biennale. It features more than 80 works by the orig