Five years ago, Arthur Jafa was a little-known cinematographer whose career had peaked in the 1990s. In that decade, he shot one of the defining films of contemporary Black cinema, Daughters of the Dust, with his then wife, the director Julie Dash; he also worked on Spike Lee’s Crooklyn and on second unit for Eyes Wide Shut with his cinematic inspiration Stanley Kubrick. These were significant achievements, and yet, at the age of fifty-one, Jafa felt like a failure.

In 2017, Jafa began a new, unexpected career in the art world. His short video Love Is the Message, the Message Is Death became a sensation, garnering the kind of praise and attention usually seen in mass pop culture. Within a few years, he had become one of the most lauded contemporary artists of the moment, showing his work in prestigious museums, blue chip galleries, and international biennials. He’s won the industry’s top prizes and received the accompanying financial remuneration, which has allowed him to develop more ambitious works.