Another View: The Vibrant World of Contemporary Black Artists

An intimate look into the studios of twenty prominent Black artists working today, enlivening their art practice and creative lives through stunning photographs and exclusive interviews

Another View: The Vibrant World of Contemporary Black Artists is a groundbreaking, intimate exploration of the studios, living spaces, and creative processes of twenty of today’s most notable Black artists. The book includes 150 never-before-published photographs taken by acclaimed artist Awol Erizku, presenting the ultimate behind-the-scenes tour of striking studios across the United States, works in progress by some of the world’s most creative people, and the objects and settings that inspire them. Exclusive profiles inspired by interviews with celebrated curator Isolde Brielmaier offer compelling personal advice and unique insights into the art world, giving readers an inside look at the role of art in society, perspectives on legacy, and what it means to be a Black artist today. An illuminating introduction by lauded scholar and critic Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the historical precedents and critical context that led to the exciting current moment of Black contemporary art in America.

Showcasing work across media – including painting, sculpture, textile, collage, photography, and more – the featured artists have won prestigious awards such as the Guggenheim Fellowship, MacArthur Fellowship, and National Endowment for the Arts grant, and are in the collections of leading institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Guggenheim. These artists represent a pivotal moment in American art history, where Black artists are gaining unprecedented institutional recognition and also fundamentally changing conversations about identity, history, and representation in contemporary art. This book captures a crucial juncture – not only showcasing the ways these artists think about their work, but also highlighting important, personal conversations about how their influence will shape the next generation of artists and the broader cultural landscape for decades to come.

Featured artists: Nina Chanel Abney; Derrick Adams; Sanford Biggers; Jordan Casteel; Nick Cave; Renee Cox; Leonardo Drew; Theaster Gates; Rashid Johnson; Titus Kaphar; Glenn Ligon; Kerry James Marshall; Xaviera Simmons; Lorna Simpson; Shinique Smith; Hank Willis Thomas; Mickalene Thomas; Nari Ward; Carrie Mae Weems; and Fred Wilson.

Isolde Brielmaier is an associate professor at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University as well as chief strategy officer of WOAH (Work of Art Holdings), a global arts and cultural firm at the crossroads of art, business, and impact, based in New York. She was previously deputy director at the New Museum in New York, where she also served on the board of trustees for four years, as well as curator-at-large at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York. Prior to this, Isolde was the director of art, culture and community initiatives at Westfield World Trade Center in New York. She is the author of several books, including I am Sparkling(2022) and Culture as Catalyst(2020). She holds a PhD from Columbia University, New York. Isolde is deeply committed to the promotion of social justice and human rights, specifically global women’s issues and criminal justice reform. She serves on the boards of Another Tomorrow (a sustainable women’s luxury brand) and is also an advisor to One Love Community Fridge (OLCF), the Women’s Prison Association (WPA), and Malaika, an all-girls school in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She resides in New York.

Awol Erizku is a conceptual artist based in Los Angeles. His work has been exhibited at art institutions, such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Dublin; and the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, England. He has presented solo exhibitions at venues that include Ben Brown Fine Arts, London and Hong Kong; the FLAG Art Foundation, New York; Gagosian, New York; California African American Museum, Los Angeles; Night Gallery, Los Angeles; Public Art Fund, New York; and Sean Kelly Gallery, New York and Los Angeles. Erizku’s work is included in the permanent collections of art institutions, such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, among others.

Akeem Flavors is a writer, archivist, and art historian interested in Black visual culture and the history of photography. He holds a BA and MA in Art History and is currently completing his PhD in Art History & Archaeology at Columbia University in New York. His research focuses on the intersection of, and relationships between, archives, photography, and the African diaspora.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University professor and director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University in Massachusetts. An Emmy, Du Pont, and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, and institution builder, he has published numerous books and produced and hosted an array of documentary films about Black History, most recently Great Migrations (PBS, 2025). Gates’s groundbreaking genealogy and genetics series, Finding Your Roots, which received an Emmy nomination, is in its twelfth season. His latest book, The Black Box: Writing the Race (Penguin Random House, 2024), was named one of The New York Times 100 Best Books of the Year. Most recently, he was awarded the prestigious Spingarn Medal from the NAACP and the 2025 Vilcek Prize, and he was elected an Honorary Fellow by the Royal Academy of Arts in England. Gates is a recipient of a number of honorary degrees, including from his two alma maters, the University of Cambridge, and, in 2025, from Yale University in Connecticut.

Michael Lynton served as the CEO of Sony Entertainment until 2018. Prior to that, he had multiple positions in the media and entertainment business including CEO of Penguin Group. Lynton also sits on the board of trustees of The Tate, London, and the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.

Noa Wynn is a writer, curator, and art historian based in New York. She holds a BFA and MA in Photography and Art History & Archaeology from New York University. Her academic and curatorial work centers on photography, global visual culture, race and gender studies, and curatorial theory. Wynn has worked across museums, nonprofit art organizations, and galleries committed to lens-based practices and socially engaged art. Her interdisciplinary approach reflects a deep commitment to visual storytelling, critical theory, and the role of the arts in shaping cultural discourse.