Arthur Jafa

The most comprehensive survey to date of the resonant work of Jafa, one of the most influential artists of his generation

Across his career, Arthur Jafa has sought to find new visual forms to capture the rhythm and realities of Black life in America. This is the most comprehensive survey of his work to date, spanning more than four decades of his career and more than 25 acclaimed works. From his early work as a cinematographer through his more recent video installations, Jafa has built a filmic language whose syncopations and textures match the aspirations of Black popular music. He has built an archive of images that spans histories and arenas of culture, cut, collaged, montaged, and rearranged into 'affective proximities' that illuminate the ways that race is communicated and experienced through contemporary media today. Published alongside a major exhibition at the New Museum, this accompanying catalogue will constitute the most comprehensive presentation, to date, of one of the most important and influential artists of this generation.

Gary Carrion-Murayari, Kraus Family Senior Curator at the New Museum.

Massimiliano Gioni, Edlis Neeson Artistic Director of the New Museum in New York.

Judith Butler, University of California, Berkeley.

Nahum Dimitri Chandler, University of California, Irvine.

Mark Godfrey, art historian and curator.

J. Hoberman, film and culture critic.

Kara Keeling, University of Southern California.

Lawrence Rinder, University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.

Simone White, poet and literary critic.

• Publisher: Phaidon Press
• Publish Date: July 8, 2026
• Pages: 240
• Language: English
• Type: Hardcover
• EAN/UPC: 9781837290567
• Dimensions: N/A
• BISAC Categories: Arts & Hobbies