Barthélémy Toguo
 | |
|---|---|
| Editor(s) | Robert Grunenberg |
| Author(s) | Oliver Koerner von Gustorf |
| Design | OOR Studio, Berlin; Vladimir Llovet |
| Size | 17 x 21 cm |
| Cover | Softcover |
| Pages | 40 |
| Illustrations | 28 |
| Language(s) | German, English |
| ISBN | 978-3-96912-209-9 |
Barthélémy Toguo’s art is a call for community and love, but there is nothing naïve about it. His paintings, graphic art, sculptures, performances, and installations explicitly grapple with colonialism, migration, and inequality; he directs our attention to the devastations wrought by humans, to the slow deaths of nature and cultures. But he does not dwell in this abyss. He aspires to something greater: to create work that establishes non-hierarchical connections; to build, as he puts it, a “world of solidarity and generosity” that knows neither ego nor identity, a community of all forms of life that flourish and pass away so that new living beings can sprout from their remains—Endless Blossoms. His choice of words and the aesthetic of the works gathered in this catalogue suggest that he is not alone in this undertaking. He stands with Ellen Gallagher, Wangechi Mutu, Louise Bourgeois, Marlene Dumas, and Kiki Smith. With them and with all of us, Toguo envisions a colorful future, a universe of exuberant energy and joie de vivre.
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Corona, Queens
Photographs by Cara Galowitz32€ Add to cartFor seven years Cara Galowitz (b. 1964, lives and works in New York) walked the streets of Corona, Queens every day during her lunch break from her nearby museum job, where she worked as an art director. These photographs, which she calls “an exercise in seeing”, capture the vivid juxtapositions of one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the world.
Through layers of irony, humor, and visual sophistication, these photographs evoke a place that is a continual work-in-progress, where the past, be it faded lettering or crumbling architecture, collides with the present in the form of spontaneous street decorations, signage, graffiti, and religious iconography. The images evoke the struggle and resilience of the people of Corona, as well as capturing the quirky beauty of the streets.
Cara Galowitz is a graduate of the Cooper Union School of Art where she focused on graphic design, photography, and fine art. She has pursued a long career as a museum art director and has shown work at the Newark Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, and the Grey Art Gallery.
