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Client

Jack Shainman

Year

2020

Location

New York, NY

Press

Gagosian QuarterlyOcula
Purchase

Meleko Mokgosi
Democratic Intuition

Democratic Intuition is a comprehensive volume documenting Mokgosi's epic painting project that questions conceptions of democracy in relation to the daily lived experiences of southern Africans. The first half of the publication shows Mokgosi's presentation of Democratic Intuition (2013–2019) at Jack Shainman Gallery's The School. Over thirty pages of full-bleed images of the exhibition are bookended by texts from Jessica Bell Brown, Seph Rodney, Debora Silverman, and an interview with Antwaun Sargent. The second half of the book displays the series in chronological order, offering a unique opportunity to view the progression of Mokgosi’s contemplation and investigation of democratic ideals. Drawing from history painting and propaganda, Mokgosi includes iconographic details in his compositions that may not be recognized or understood by a Western audience. By combining broadly legible themes with pointed, specific imagery, Mokgosi encourages a desire in the viewer to understand a history beyond what is already known.

Collections: MoMA Library

Published by Pacific, Hardcover, 9 × 11½ inches, 188 pages, Limited edition of 500

Brown book cover with the title and artist in four lines. The text is beige.
A book open to the title page. The left page is blank.
Open book with brown abstract artwork detail on the left page and three lines of text in the center of the right page.
Open book with blank left page and table of contents on the right.
Open book with blank left page and black text on the right.
Open book with full-bleed, centerfold installation image.
Open book with a painting on either page.
Open book with a painting on either page.
Open book with a painting on the left page and text on the right.
Open book with a painting stretching across both pages.
Open book with text and images on the left page and two columns of text on the right page.
Installation shot of a white room with stone floors. Several large-scale paintings hang on two walls.

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