Our round-up of the latest art publications
Liz Johnson Artur: PDA, Bierke Verlag, 224pp, £50 (hb)
The Russian Ghanaian artist Liz Johnson Artur presents a photographic record of PDA, a hugely popular queer Black club night held monthly in a Hackney basement in east London from 2011 to 2021. (PDA is thought to stand for Public Display of Affection or Please Don’t Ask.) “Combining both glamour and a spirit of chaos, PDA offered a world away from the conventions and systems upheld by the UK’s patriarchal imperialism,” says a publisher’s statement. PDA, which overflowed with sequins and sunglasses, did not last forever though. “We have a wonderful time, then suddenly it’s over. We’re only here for a minute. Let’s enjoy it,” Johnson Artur told The Guardian.
William Nicholson, Simon Martin (editor), Pallant House Gallery, 176pp, £35 (hb)
This survey of the UK artist William Nicholson’s career accompanies an exhibition at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, UK. Nicholson, the head of a family of artists, is often overshadowed by his more famous son Ben but William’s output was prolific and eclectic, encompassing witty woodcuts, including the celebrated portfolios An Alphabet and London Types, along with book illustrations and commissions for the theatre. “Visitors [and readers] can view rarely seen works, and intimate depictions of family and friends including a newly displayed portrait of his son, artist Ben Nicholson,” says a publisher’s statement.
Sandy Skoglund: Enchanting Nature, Laura van Straaten, Damiani, 64pp, €30 (hb)
The publication Enchanting Nature accompanies an exhibition of Sandy Skoglund’s work at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas (until 1 February). Skoglund creates surreal, colour-filled environments bursting with handmade props and repetitive visual motifs. “The conflict between the manmade world and the natural environment, and the paradoxes this conflict creates, are a central focus in the work of the artist,” says a publisher’s statement. The publication includes the artist’s installations Revenge of the Goldfish and Radioactive Cats alongside the unseen work Fresh Hybrid (2008).
Continue reading on The Art Newspaper…