New Books Network Rizvana Bradley, "Anteaesthetics: Black Aesthesis and the Critique of Form" (Stanford UP, 2023)
Nov 15, 2025
Rizvana Bradley, an Associate Professor of Film and Media at UC Berkeley, dives deep into the concept of 'Black Aesthesis' in her latest work. She argues that blackness is a foundational yet unrepresentable aspect of modern aesthetics. Discussing the intersection of Black art and philosophy, she critiques the notion of art as mere resistance, highlighting its complex relationship with negativity and modernity. By analyzing various artists, she illustrates how Black art challenges traditional forms and reveals the racialized contours of representation, calling for a reevaluation of aesthetics itself.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Formative Academic Milieus
- Bradley recounts formative moments at Williams, Duke, and Whitney ISP that shaped her methods.
- These cross-disciplinary encounters prompted her transdisciplinary, anti-formal approach to Black art.
Black Art As Philosophical Practice
- Rizvana Bradley argues Black art performs philosophical work that exceeds representational frames.
- Artists recursively deconstruct aesthetic forms to disclose racialized contours of form and medium.
Negativity As Critical Force
- Bradley foregrounds the negativity of Black art as critique, not cynicism or mere protest.
- She insists Black art's power lies in exposing social order rather than offering moralistic solutions.
