This Week: Five Things That Caught My Eye

The swift slip 'n slide towards the end of the year has begun. Here’s some things helping me slow down and regain my focus.

Sphinx 2022–23

Hi friends! I’m still accumulating my thoughts for a longer dispatch to send out, but until then, please accept these offerings in their place.

1. I went to Simone Leigh’s new show in Chelsea a few weeks ago and the moment I walked in, I felt at home. Simone has a way of playing with perception and gaze. Her sculptures never seem to acknowledge us, the viewers. Their interority, dignity and selfhood remains intact, no matter how many people circle them or crowd dangerously close to their boundaries to take photos. The show opened two days after the election, and as soon as I walked in, I felt belonging. I felt that no matter what is happening (and continues to happen) in the larger context of the world, being surrounded by thinkers, cultural workers and historians working to preserve the sanctity of Black self-determination and the preciousness of Black femininity is the only place I need to be.

2. I recently watched “The Melt Goes on Forever,” a documentary about the artist David Hammons whose body prints are one of my favorite pieces of work to think about. (They blur the line between here and thereness, visibility and invisibility - I can’t get enough). The film, which is streaming on Mubi, revels in his genius and elusiveness, which feels refreshing in our always-on, always-available culture. His refusal of certain types of ownership butts up against the voracious appetites of the art world that grows ever more desperate to acquire signifiers of Blackness is admirable. 

3. One of the very cute gifts I got for my birthday was a cookbook focusing on the history and traditions of Palestine called “Zaitoun.” I’ve been earmarking recipes and sharing them with all of my foodie friends. The book’s author, Yasmin Khan, includes historical information about the occupation along with her recipes and cites the photographers, chefs, home cooks and stories that inform her recipes. It’s as enriching to read as it is to plan your next dinner party.

4. I recently came across the DJ Lovie on TikTok where she breaks down her perspective on music history (like why Detroit gets ignored as the Black epicenter of techno music) along with showcasing what she’s playing.  Here’s one of her mixes that pays tribute to Quincy Jones. It is somehow both excellent and calming — put it on while you cook, while you clean, while you soak in the tub.

5. I’m a sucker for almost any “GRWM” that makes its way on my TikTok FYP and one thing a lot of the skincare girlies seem to be using are these dry face masks by Charlotte Tilbury. I don’t understand how they work — allegedly, they still have peptides and vitamins and hydrating oils like their wet counterparts — but they still manage to help my skin recover from the dry fall weather in my apartment (radiators) and outside.