Emory Douglas, the Panthers’ former Minister of Culture who will talk about his life and work. Douglas’ uplifting and acerbic political art helped forge the Panthers powerful imagery.

Emory Douglas was minister of culture for the Black Panther Party from 1967 until its discontinuation in the early 1980’s. Douglas’s powerful visuals helped define the style of the groups newspapers, posters and pamphlets. His bold illustrations and striking images spoke forcefully to a community ravaged by poverty, police brutality and poor living conditions and portrayed a populace fighting to assert their rights to equality.

The afternoon consists of a presentation on Genet and the Panthers by Kodwo Eshun, with academic Kobena Mercer, via Skype. They will focus on the significance of the Genet / Panther interface and the cultural legacy of the Panthers.

Artist Lili Reynaud-Dewar will join a panel discussion.

Kodwo Eshun lives and work in London. He is a member of The Otolith Group, their film Nervus Rerum (2008) is screened in the current exhibition Act 2: Prisoner of Love. Eshun is the author of More Brilliant than the Sun (1998) and co-editor of the new issue of Third Text on The Militant Image.

The Otolith Group were founded in 2000. Anjalika Sagar and Kodwo Eshun are its core members. Working with media archives, histories, legacies and themes around tricontinentalism, the group use moving image, sound, text and explore curatorial practice in their work.