'Live Evil' Spotlights Arthur Jafa's Alchemical Hand

Summary

• Walther König and LUMA Arles are co-publishing Live Evil, a new publication spotlighting the acclaimed practiced of American artist and filmmaker Arthur Jafa
• The book expands on Jafa’s 2022 LUMA Arles presentation of the same name through a rich selection of archival materials, works and essays

With work raw and unflinching, Arthur Jafa stands as one of the most significant names in contemporary art today. The Los Angeles-based artist and filmmaker has spent the last several decades cultivating an incisive oeuvre, probing image and pop culture to expose the unsettling undercurrents of U.S. history: racial violence, narratives of resistance and the irrepressible force of Black expression.

Walther König and LUMA Arles are teaming up on Arthur Jafa: Live Evil, a new book spotlighting key works from the artist’s expansive practice. The publication offers an immersive look at Jafa’s evolving body of work, building off of his monumental 2022 Arles presentation of the same name.

Through a collection of layered visuals, archival materials and essays, Live Evil translates modes of survival and cultural memory into searing aesthetic form, crafting what art historian Wes Hill describes as “a counterpunch to anyone who wants to put people of color in their place.”

Releasing September 2, the book is now available for pre-order.