Light Work

09/03/2026

“I wanted to solidify that. And so clay gave me that.”

For Bahamian artist Anina Major, clay is more than just a material. It became a way to hold onto home.

In this conversation, Anina talks about leaving the Bahamas and what it means to stay connected to a place when you’re no longer physically there. That connection can live in memory, history, nostalgia, and in the things we choose to carry with us.

For Anina, clay became one of those things. A way to take something intangible and give it a physical form.

September brings Bahamian artist Anina Major back to TERN for SOON COME HOME (September 16–October 26, 2026), her second solo exhibition with the gallery and a homecoming of sorts for an artist whose work has long considered what it means to leave, return, remember, and remake.

It’s a reminder that culture doesn’t always stay in one place. Sometimes, we carry it with us, reshape it, and find new ways to keep it alive.

Tap the link in bio to listen to the full episode on our site or wherever you listen to podcasts.

08/30/2026

“I wanted to empower Black people. Art can be a weapon for social change.” - Betye Saar Betye Saar

Getting up close with Betye Saar’s Indigo Mercy (1975). A masterclass in mixed-media storytelling and spiritual assemblage art. From the collection of The Studio Museum in Harlem.

08/28/2026

Today we’re taking a closer look at Emma Prempeh and her atmospheric paintings.

Notice the layered surfaces, muted colors, flashes of metallic light, and figures that seem to emerge from and disappear into the surrounding landscape. Look at how the reflections and textures shift across the surface, creating a sense of movement and memory. How does the scale and composition draw you into the scene?

Emma Prempeh is a British artist of Ghanaian and Vincentian heritage whose painting practice explores memory, metaphysical inquiry, and the relationships between people, places, and time. Working with layered surfaces and schlag metal, her paintings can slowly change as the metal oxidises, allowing the works to evolve over time.

We’re curious—what did you notice first about this work? Tell us in the comments below!

Remember looking is a practice. Slow looking asks what happens when we spend more time with a work of art.

08/26/2026

08/25/2026

This week we’re looking at the work of Adama Delphine Fawundu.

08/21/2026

Today we’re taking a closer look at Zizipho Poswa and her sculptural works. Zizipho Poswa

Notice the bold colors, elongated forms, intricate surfaces, and the way each sculpture balances between the human figure and abstraction. Look closely at the scale and posture of the forms—how do they suggest movement, strength, or the act of carrying? How do the materials and exaggerated shapes change the way you experience the work?

Zizipho Poswa is a South African artist whose sculptural practice draws on her personal journey and the spiritual traditions, cultural heritage, and matriarchal traditions of her Xhosa upbringing.

We’re curious—what did you notice first about this work? Tell us in the comments below!

Remember looking is a practice. Slow looking asks what happens when we spend more time with a work of art.

AfricanArt

08/18/2026

“My abstraction is a present and living archive.” — Lindsay Adams

From the Vault with Lindsay Adams. Lindsay Adams

In this conversation, Folasade Ologundudu sat down with Lindsay Adams to discuss her exhibition Ceremony, archival materials, memory, place, and belonging.

In this moment, Adams reflects on how her abstract paintings can function as a living archive—holding the same emotions and sentiments found in letters and photographs, but expressing them through a different visual language.

Since this conversation, Adams’ work continues to invite us to pause, look differently, and consider how art and archives can speak to one another.

From the Vault is Light Work’s ongoing series revisiting conversations from the Everything Is Connected oral archive.

08/17/2026

This week, we’re looking closely at Rahim Fortune in Los Angeles.

Fortune uses photography to explore the layered nature of American identity, focusing on the connections between people, memory, and the landscapes they inhabit. Born in Austin, Texas, and raised in the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, his work is deeply rooted in the histories and communities of the American South.

Through tender portraits of Black life, expansive landscapes, and quiet details, Fortune creates photographs that feel both intimate and reverent. His work invites us to think about how history lives within a place—and how those stories continue to shape the present.

As you move through the exhibition, notice how Fortune brings people, landscapes, and memory into conversation. What details draw you closer to the stories within each image?

We’re curious—what about this exhibition resonated with you?

On View: Rahim Fortune: Between a Memory and Me
📍 Art + Practice, 3401 W. 43rd Place, Los Angeles, CA 90008
📅 April 18 – September 5, 2026
Curated by the Center for Photography at Woodstock; co-presented by the California African American Museum and Art + Practice.

On View is Light Work’s weekly editorial series exploring exhibitions that shape conversations across contemporary art and the global African diaspora.

08/16/2026

“Black artists are too often expected to explain who they are in their work.”
— Julie Mehretu

Julie Mehretu turns abstraction into a space for freedom, exploring identity, migration, history, and the Black diaspora through layered, dynamic compositions. Her work challenges us to look beyond representation—and into possibility.

08/15/2026

“The art is a tool to bring people together.” — Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr. FERG

From the Vault with Ferg

Earlier this year, Folasade Ologundudu sat down with Ferg to discuss world-building, community, creativity, and the role of art in bringing people together.

On this episode, Ferg reflects on how social media can create the feeling that we’re experiencing life without actually being present in it — and why he believes we need to get outside, connect, and experience life in the real world.

Since this conversation, Ferg’s work continues to explore the relationship between art, community, and culture.

From the Vault is Light Work’s ongoing series revisiting conversations from the Everything Is Connected oral archive.