Brandon Taylor on Writing About Black Art and Black Artists in America
The Center For Fiction welcomed Brandon Taylor, Booker Prize finalist and bestselling author of Real Life and Filthy Animals, back to our stage to celebrate the release of his highly anticipated novel Minor Black Figures. Matthew Sitman, host of the
Brandon Taylor, Booker Prize finalist and author of Real Life and Filthy Animals, visited The Center For Fiction to discuss his latest novel, Minor Black Figures. The novel explores the New York art scene through the lens of Wyeth, a young Black painter grappling with the complexities of creative struggle, race, and representation.
During the conversation, Matthew Sitman, host of the Know Your Enemy podcast, noted Taylor's choice to make Wyeth an artist rather than a writer and the dynamics surrounding Wyeth's experience as a Black painter in New York City's elite Soho gallery space. Taylor reflected on the "racist, essentialist logic" often applied to Black art and artists, discussing how it perpetuates a sense of division and limits the agency of Black creators.
He also touched on the viral fame of one of Wyeth's artworks during the BLM protests in 2020, highlighting the unexpected attention and the complexities of navigating fame as a Black artist during a time of heightened racial awareness.
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