On June 16, 2024, Bottega Veneta released their Father’s Day campaign, fit with images of A$AP Rocky and his two children photographed by Carrie Mae Weems in the singular style of her iconic Kitchen Table Series (1990).

Here, writer Zoë Hopkins and I consider what futures the campaign supports us in imagining, the anesthetizing of Black visual culture and the urgency of remaining clear in our commitment to freedom beyond representation. We wonder, in the wake of this campaign, what becomes of Carrie Mae Weems’ seat at her own ‘Kitchen Table’ and how we can return to a Black visual culture that contaminates propriety.

Please note that we recorded this from our respective phone hot-spots, so bear with us as the sound cuts in and out at times. It also bears mentioning that we recorded this straight through in one take and the file you are listening to has not been edited at all — These are quite literally our unfiltered, uncensored, un-redacted interpretations of the images and what futures they support us in imagining.

Get full access to For Opacity at camillebacon.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to For Opacity at camillebacon.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to For Opacity at camillebacon.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to For Opacity at camillebacon.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to For Opacity at camillebacon.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to For Opacity at camillebacon.substack.com/subscribe