<<<Cihuanaba’s Art History Survival Kit Vol.1 >>>
Are you an Art Student of Color (ASoC) and you’re tired of that trash called “Gardner’s Art Through the Ages”, try these:
Mixed Blessings: New Art in a Multicultural America | Make sure to get the 2000 version with the new preface, some of the language feels dated since it is from the 90′s, but this has been instrumental in placing myself within a timeline of artists of color living in the USA from the 1960s-1990′s. It’s super cheap on amazon and I recommend this highly. This is seminal.
Contemporary Art in Asia: A Critical Reader | Anytime you see Melissa Chiu and Benjamin Genocchio listed as contributors or editors, buy it. This book brings together a huge stack of important essays on Contemporary Art in Asia going back to the 90′s. It’s been super important to me.
Contemporary Languages from Centro América | The only textbook for Contemporary Art in Central America and it was done with so much criticality and love. The chief editor is a spaniard, but she pretty much gives the reins to Central Americans themselves who as artists and curators and historians contribute essays, conversations of their own. So many beautiful plates of artwork and descriptions. I bought this book at 65.00 and amazon a month later listed them for 20.00 dollars and now they are at 8.00. I’m angry, but happy for you cuz it’s such a steal now.
Pepón Osorio (A Ver) | I had to include one of my favorite artists and this wonderful monogram by Jennifer Gonzalez really was well done with large plates of the work and a concise overview of his work.
Inuit Women Artists | I got this book for 2.00 at a yard sale, and what a steal. It is really big and so the plates are massive. Each artist talks about their work which was really amazing because you got so much about their process, but also history and background on their lives and surroundings.
Diaspora, Memory, Place: David Hammons, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Pamela Z | I keep raving about this book, it’s my newest purchase. The book is about 10-12 inches and really thick. Beautifully printed with interviews and essays and beautiful plates of work. A definite must for those interested in not just these three artists, but about art of the african diaspora.
Modern Art in Africa, Asia and Latin America: An Introduction to Global Modernisms | I have not read this one, but Melissa Chiu (Editor), Benjamin Genocchio (Editor) are listed so this should be amazing. It was marketed as a counterbook to most art history college course books so I bet it packs a bunch of punches against the whiteness found in most college art history texts.
Unseen Mendieta: The Unpublished Works of Ana Mendieta | After reading so many horrible books about Ana Mendieta from White Americans, finally a book by her close friend Olga Viso who is also Cuban. This book has whole page plates of her unseen works and looks at her different eras. A must have.
When The Stars Begin to Fall | I worked at the ICA, Boston in the education department and this was one of the exhibition’s I loved teaching people about the most on a day to day. Thomas J. Lax is a young curator, but one of the best out there and this catalog is must have for what I think is a groundbreaking exhibition.
Imperfect Chronology: Arab Art from the Modern to the Contemporary Works from the Barjeel Art Foundation | Barjeel Art Foundation has an archive on their website which I would definitely check out if you can’t afford this book because all the art works are able to be seen there. I would definitely buy it for Omar Kholeif who is the editor as well as the other contributors who are scholars, curators and artists themselves who add essays.