Feature Image by Dennis Collins shows the artist with his work “Sovereignty” © 2020 Granville Carroll
Granville Carroll, a contemporary visual artist, Afrofuturist, and Arizona State University Teaching Professor, offered a studio tour and presentation to members of the AZPA at Grant Street Studios on January 26, 2024.
The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art defines Afrofuturism as “a genre that centers Black history and culture, and incorporates science-fiction, technology, and futuristic elements into literature, music, and the visual arts. Often using current social movements or popular culture as a backdrop, Afrofuturism focuses on works that examine the past, question the present, or imagine an optimistic future, and are meant to inspire a sense of pride in their audience.”
Displaying photographs from his Afrofuturist visual work, Carroll discussed what he described as the “multifaceted dimensions of blackness,” including spatial, temporal and spiritual blackness.
Carroll is a unique artist, as he combines both his passion for photography and poetry to explore complex topics, such as identity and representation. Linking these themes to his deep exploration of metaphysics, the philosophy of self, and the cosmos, he is able to seamlessly capture the fascinating human experience.
After the tour and presentation of his work, Carroll conducted a Q&A, where AZPA members could ask questions and delve further into his pieces. A celebratory happy hour for Carroll and AZPA members followed at Kaizen.
Carroll’s work has been displayed nationally and internationally. A new exhibition, Reclaiming Hope: Afrofuturist Visions, is upcoming at Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe, Arizona.
Sara Windom
Contributing Writer
Sara Windom is a photographer, designer, artist and writer from Phoenix, Arizona. With a B.A. in Mass Communication and Media Studies from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, she aims to combine her passion for writing with the storytelling found in her photography and artwork. Windom’s works have been published in a number of publications such as The Sonoran Arts League, The America Library of Poetry, The State Press, The West Valley View, Melted Magazine, State Press Magazine, The Downtown Devil and many more.
Contact Sara