Golden Apple of the Sun animates the quotidian elements of Cole’s kitchen countertop in unposed meditations of color and form captured during a perilous 5-week period. This tapestry of image and text exposes the power of everyday objects to reflect the prismatic spaces we hold during our brief and precious life. 

In this conversation, Teju Cole discusses, among other things:

Still life images as biography

Disappointing expectations

Postponing reaction

#nofilter

Dead bird syndrome

Incorporating accidents

Positioning and modifications imposed by ethnocentricity

Translucence and opacity

Being difficult

Listening foremost to one’s self

Going your own way

Referenced in the episode

 Phillis Wheatley’s Poetry 

“A new literary timeline of African American history” - Eve L. Ewing 1773 New York Times, 1619 project  

“A Photograph Never Stands Alone” - New York Times

“A Subtlety” - Kara Walker

“In Flagrante Two” - Chris Killip 

“Black Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments” - Saidiya Hartman

“A Black Gaze: Artists Changing How We See” - Tina L. Campt

Shadows in Nature, Life & Art - William Vaughan

The Practicing Refusal Collective - The Sojourner Project

Digital Silver Imaging 

Teju Cole Website | Instagram

Engage with J.Sybylla Smith https://www.jsybyllasmith.com Instagram @jsybylla and Facebook @j.sybylla.smith

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