Dawoud Bey and Carrie Mae Weems: In Dialogue at GRAM – Reading List for Adults

The exhibition Dawoud Bey & Carrie Mae Weems: In Dialogue brings together a focused selection of work from a period of over forty years by two of today’s most important and influential photo-based artists. For over five decades, Bey and Weems have explored and addressed similar themes: race, class, representation, and systems of power, creating work that is grounded in specific African American events and realities while simultaneously speaking to universal human conditions. Both Bey and Weems create work in focused series that gives them opportunity to fully explore their complex and layered ideas. The exhibition is arranged in five sections that present the two artists’ work in thematic pairings, emphasizing both their mutual concerns and distinct artistic approaches. Dawoud Bey and Carrie Mae Weems: In Dialogue is on view at the Grand Rapids Art Museum from January 29 – May 1, 2022. This exhibition is organized by the Grand Rapids Art Museum. These titles have been chosen by Grand Rapids Public Library staff to give visitors a chance to dive deeper into the lives of the artists and their fascinating work, explore other artists and authors who have inspired the artists, as well as topics and themes presented in the exhibition.