From the Editor's Desk: 50 Shades of Black, ANPQ, New American Paintings, and X-Tra Contemporary

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50 Shades of Black: The Conversation. Photo by Alix Taylor.

50 Shades of Black: The Conversation

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“Hue-manity finds its birth from the oldest and most well-known sex symbol of all: Mother Earth. She’s black to the core in the dark. According to one old story Her “womb” is the place where all people came out of, and composes a full spectrum including black coffee, high yellow, and ivory cream.” –Joja

Arriving recently at our BURNAWAY doorstep, 50 Shades of Black: The Conversation is both a soft-cover, wide-paged book enclosed with vibrant photographic illustrations as well as a multi-disciplinary art project driven by creative director, Carlton D. Mackey, to unite hundreds of voices contributing their personal narratives. This venture investigates the intersection of sexuality and skin tone in terms of shaping one’s unique identity while also providing newfound perspectives in regards to beauty. The book attempts to widen the boundaries, expand the space, and destroy the barriers delineating the standard definition of diversity. Carlton Mackey effectively curated an artistic endeavor upon the pages of his book, presenting scholarly essays, personal stories, poems, photographs, and paintings that solidify his activist vision to combat the impact of patriarchy, heterosexism, and racism shifting in identity globally. 50 Shades of Black sends out an open-ended, communal dialogue through exploring the pervasive, influential, and sensitive nature of human sexuality by also relishing in the beauty, allure, and sex appeal of people of color. Hoping to catalyze positive social change, this book is interwoven with input from the LGBT communities including Latino, African, African American, and Asian outlooks.


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The current issue of ANPQ, photo by Alix Taylor.

 
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The current issue of ANPQ, photo by Alix Taylor. Interview with Claire Rojas.

ANPQ
ANP Quarterly, an oversized and full color arts and visual culture magazine published by the skate company RVCA, recently arrived at the BURNAWAY office in all its glory. The brightly colored, oversized, publication features some great content including interviews with Mark Cohen and Clare Rojas, whose work has undergone serious change, along with a photo heavy feature entitled LA Punk Gangs of the 80s.


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New American Paintings, issue 106: South, curated by Miranda Lash. Photo by Dasha Vzorov.

South Issue of New American Paintings
Although New American Paintings may have moved on to the Midwest for issue 107, the Southern states (issue 106) artists are still on our radar. The issue was juried by Miranda Lash, New Orleans Museum of Art curator of modern and contemporary art, and the publication features work of several Atlanta artists, including a spotlight on Craig Drennen’s inspiration and practice. The issue also features Tallahasse-based Joelle Dietrick, as well as newcomer, recent GSU graduate, and MINT Gallery manager Henry Detweiler, who with Ben Coleman created No Vacancy produced by Dashboard Co-op last month.


X-Tra in LA
The new issue of X-Tra Contemporary Art Quarterly is now available. The LA based publication, published and distributed by the Project X Foundation, features content covering shows and artists from London to Pasadena. Highlights include Neha Choksi on “Inverted Sculptures,” in which Choksi touches on the issues and interest surrounding concepts of replication in mold sculptures, accompanied by works from Klaus Weber, Evan Holloway and Giuseppe Penone. Glenn Harcourt also contributes a thoughtful and engaging essay on Taryn Simon’s A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII and his fascination with complex issues of identity in the work.
text contributed by Alix Taylor and Dasha Vzorov


 
 
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