In Black and White : Prints from Africa and the Diaspora

Prints are a means of communication and cultural exchange, in the context of Africa and the African Diaspora; these qualities have a particular resonance. The book covers the period from 1960, interpreting a variety of visual images from the V&A collections in their political and social context, while also addressing their identity as art.

In Black and White explores prints from Africa and the African diaspora since 1960. As an accessible medium, print bridges the space between fine and commercial art as a vehicle for expression and carries with it a tradition of satire and protest, both social and political. Above all, prints are a means of communication and cultural exchange and, in the context of Africa and the African diaspora, these qualities have had a particular resonance. This book presents and interprets a variety of visual images from the V&A collections in terms of their political and social context, while also addressing their identity as art and design. It includes prints by Uzo Egonu, Carrie Mae Weems, and Chris Ofili, among others, as well as work with an overt political purpose, such as posters attacking the Apartheid policies of South Africa, and material produced by American Black Power organizations such as the Black Panthers.