Author Description

A major new publication looking at the rich history of photographic practice by Black female and non-binary artists from the late nineteenth century to the present day. For decades, women have been overlooked in the cultural history of photography, especially Black female and gender- fluid artists of African descent whose crucial contributions to this relatively young medium are often missing. More than just a corrective, this stunning, image-led survey features up to one hundred artists and photographers from diverse cultural backgrounds, geographic locations, and genres. Readers will encounter the works of Florestine Perrault Collins—one of the few African American women working in photography at the beginning of the twentieth century—and iconic imagery by pioneering artists such as Ming Smith and Carrie Mae Weems. The book will showcase the potent visual activism of Zanele Muholi, Lola Flash, Vanessa Charlot, Sheela Pree Bright, Rahima Gambo, and Aida Silvestri, as well as a constituency of creative practitioners working with performance and lens-based media such as Ayana V. Jackson, Nona Faustine, Atong Atem, Lebohang Kganye, Heather Agyepong, Silvia Rosi, and many others. This carefully curated visual survey stands on its own as an impressive collection of portrait, fashion, documentary, critical fine art, and socially engaged global photography.