Simone Leigh

Discover the groundbreaking work of an artist reshaping contemporary art through community, history, and the traditions of the African diaspora. Simone Leigh is the first major monograph dedicated to the artist’s multimedia practice, offering an expansive look at more than two decades of sculpture, video, installation, and social practice. Leigh’s work places questions of Black femme-identified subjectivity, race, beauty, community, and material culture at the heart of contemporary art.

Published with the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, this richly illustrated volume brings together substantial new scholarship from an impressive group of writers and thinkers, including Vanessa Agard-Jones, Rizvana Bradley, Dionne Brand, Denise Ferreira da Silva, Malik Gaines, Saidiya V. Hartman, and Daniella Rose King. A special conversation also gives readers an opportunity to engage directly with Leigh’s own voice and ideas.

Travel across the many histories and traditions that inform Leigh’s practice, including materials, forms, and visual languages connected to Africa and the African diaspora. The book features lush reproductions of her acclaimed works, including pieces from her presentation Sovereignty, which represented the United States at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022, alongside works spanning her 20-year career. One of the book’s most fascinating sections opens a window into Leigh’s research images and working methodologies, offering a closer look at the ideas, references, and investigations behind her art.

For anyone interested in contemporary art, Black feminism, sculpture, material culture, and the expansive possibilities of artistic practice, Simone Leigh is an illuminating and beautifully produced portrait of one of today’s influential contemporary artists.

Details 

• Hardcover 
• 372 pages with 200 Illustrations
• Dimension: 11.3in x 10.3in x 1.4in