Carrie Mae Weems: The Heart of the Matter

Description:

Critical insight into the mind and eye of an artist renowned for her work investigating history, identity, and power.

Transcending medium, chronology, and geography, Carrie Mae Weems: The Heart of the Matter puts the artist--as well as her spiritual and philosophical journeys--at the center of the discourse. Weems is a touchstone artist, renowned for her work investigating history, identity, and power. A comprehensive monograph, The Heart of the Matter features generous presentations of landmark bodies of work, from Family Pictures and Stories (1981-82) to her most recent series on the Black church. Throughout the book, the artist's spiritual musings provide critical insight into the iconic artist's mind and eye. Newly commissioned essays and additional contributions from esteemed thinkers and scholars across generations underscore the singular value of Weems's vision in grappling with the complexities and injustices of the world around us. Carrie Mae Weems: The Heart of the Matter will accompany a related exhibition at Gallerie d'Italia, Turin, opening in April 2025.

The book is copublished by Aperture and Allemandi Editore.

Brief description: Carrie Mae Weems (born in Portland, Oregon, 1953) is a widely influential artist whose work gives a voice to people whose stories have been silenced or ignored. Over the course of forty years, she has built an acclaimed body of work using photographs, text, fabric, audio, digital images, installation, and video. She has received numerous awards, including a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the US Department of State's Medal of Arts, the Joseph H. Hazen Rome Prize Fellowship from the American Academy in Rome, and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award. Her work is in collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and Tate Modern, London.