Donald Rodney

Reviews / Votes

'Donald Rodney was a fearless artist who tackled intersectional complexities of blackness, masculinity, embodiment and mortality without compromise. With this monograph, his practice now receives the in-depth attention it has long deserved.' * Kobena Mercer, author of Travel & See: Black Diaspora Art Practices since the 1980s (2016) * This expansive and emotive publication is a timely call-to-action, for all cultural practitioners to explore and begin to organise their personal collections. Hylton's passionate and diligent archival excavation of Rodney's short but generative artistic career has embolden and future-proofed his central position in the contemporary British art canon. * Rianna Jade Parker, Writer, Critic, Historian and Curator * Incisive, compelling, authoritative and, like Rodney's own work, at times poignant and bittersweet. Rather than relegating Rodney to an artistic afterlife, Hylton's essential study reconsiders his searing contribution to British art, providing a comprehensive exploration of a lifetime of dynamic artistic practice. * Indie A. Choudhury, Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Art (Global Black diasporas), The Courtauld Institute of Art, UK * An invaluable account of an artist often alluded to but rarely engaged with, Donald Rodney deftly analyzes a long-overlooked body of work, while adding complexity to our understanding of the cultural politics of modern Britain. Given the institutional and rhetorical erasures of artists such as Rodney, Hylton's study also does crucial archival work while posing serious ethical questions for art writers, collectors, and curators. Rodney's own confrontation of colonial histories, persistent state violence, and the iniquities of health care means - as this book makes clear - that his art still speaks to our present. * William Ian Bourland, Chair, Department of Art and Art History, Georgetown University, USA * With this passionately researched study of the work of the late Donald Rodney, Richard Hylton has revitalised the conversation on an important, yet often overlooked artist. This timely monograph marks a significant contribution to Black British art history. * Allison Young, Assistant Professor of Contemporary Art History, Louisiana State University, USA *