Lorna Simpson Collages
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
"Black women's heads of hair are galaxies unto themselves, solar systems, moonscapes, volcanic interiors."
—Elizabeth Alexander, from the Introduction
Using advertising photographs of black women (and men) drawn from vintage issues of Ebony and Jet magazines, the exquisite and thought-provoking collages of world-renowned artist Lorna Simpson explore the richly nuanced language of hair. Surreal coiffures made from colorful ink washes, striking geological formations from old textbooks, and other unexpected forms and objects adorn the models to mesmerizingly beautiful effect.
Featuring 160 artworks, an artist's statement, and an introduction by poet, author, and scholar Elizabeth Alexander, this volume celebrates the irresistible power of Simpson's visual vernacular.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hair plays significantly in the work of Brooklyn artist Simpson, as poet Elizabeth Alexander notes in her introduction to this electrifying monograph of Simpson's collages: "Black women's heads of hair are galaxies unto themselves, solar systems, moonscapes, volcanic interiors. The hair paints has a mind of its own. It is sinuous and cloudy and fully alive. It is forest and ocean, its own emotional weather. " The collages, reproduced one per page within, pair raw gemstones with photographs, mostly of black women, collected from vintage advertisements. The women's hair are made up of the crystalline or shiny black stones, honoring the multidimensional quality of natural hair. The gemstone collages are presented as vintage scientific plates, the conglomerations of women and minerals. In the latter half of the book, the collages are simpler but equally as bold, each construction featuring a single cutout with hair rendered in flame or wave-like washes of paint. Simpson's use of repeated motifs mimics the mass production of fashion magazines, and she occasionally includes snippets of phrases taken from the original ads where the images first appeared ("Put on your Afro pony tail and swish those superflies away!"). Simpson's collages maintain an element of surprise and visual power page after page. Color illus.
