Author Description

Featuring the work of Brooklyn-based artist José Parlá (born 1973) and Atlanta-based artist Fahamu Pecou (born 1975), "Imagining New Worlds" explores the legacy and influence of the Cuban artist Wifredo Lam (1902-82), one of Surrealism's most influential figures. Representing a new generation engaged in a global discourse on art, culture, travel, identity and alterity, José Parlá and Fahamu Pecou consider Lam's legacy through their own personal reflections on Lam's involvement with Surrealism and poetry, his fusion of African-inspired imagery with that of the natural world and the influence of the Santeria religion of the Caribbean and the Négritude movement on Lam's art. This volume accompanies three concurrent exhibitions at the High Museum of Art: exhibitions of work by Parlá and Pecou (the first major museum presentations for both artists), and a Wifredo Lam retrospective.