This conversation features artist Zora J Murff in conversation about his work Garden with fruit (after Charles Ethan Porter).

Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, Artist and educator Zora J Murff studied photography at the University of Iowa while serving as a social worker for youth on court probation who were guided through therapy and community service as an alternative to incarceration. Murff explores the politics of stereotypes and anti-blackness through the medium of photography. As a prime example of Murff’s practice as an artist, educator, and storyteller, Murff’s photographs showcase and unearth hidden histories, offering visual investigations of Black life—its horrors and joys.

Garden with Fruit (After Charles Ethan Porter), 2020. Archival Pigment Print, 16 × 20 In. Studio Museum in Harlem; Museum purchase with funds provided by Miyoung Lee

https://www.studiomuseum.org/artists/zora-j-murff

This conversation features artist Vladimir Cybil Charlier in conversation about her work Billie Zulie (1997).

Born in Queens, New York, to Haitian parents, Vladimir Cybil Charlier grew up equally between Port-au-Prince and New York. Across several mediums, Vladimir Cybil Charlier employs a visual diasporic language, one that melds symbolic and cultural elements from Black cultures in the United States and Caribbean.

Billie Zulie, 1997. Aluminum, fabric, acrylic, sequins, beads, and hardware, Open: 8 x 13 x 5 in.,

Closed: 8 x 8 1/4 x 3 1/2 in., and Other (Box): 7 3/4 x 13 1/2 x 11 in. Studio Museum in Harlem; gift of the artist

https://www.studiomuseum.org/artists/vladimir-cybil-charlier

https://www.studiomuseum.org/artworks/billie-zulie

Episode 1 of New Additions features artist Tunji Adeniyi-Jones in discussion of his life, practice, and work in the Studio Museum’s collection, "A Flashy Encounter" (2021).

Based in New York and born in London to Nigerian parents, Adeniyi-Jones received his MFA from Yale in 2017 after completing his BFA at Oxford University. Adeniyi-Jones's work is deeply inspired by his Yoruba heritage and carries a distinct artistic style filled with vibrant colors, repeating forms, and characters. As he says, his artistic style is more akin to “cultural addition, combination, and collaboration.” Most recently, Tunji, along with seven other artists, represented Nigeria in the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale in 2024.

"A Flashy Encounter," 2021. Watercolor, ink, and acrylic on paper. 16 1/2 x 11 5/8 in. Studio Museum in Harlem; Museum purchase with funds provided by The Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family

https://www.studiomuseum.org/artists/tunji-adeniyi-jones

https://www.studiomuseum.org/artworks/a-flashy-encounter