As we have been announcing on our website and social media all month, the new Juxtapoz Black & White book is out now, featuring 224-pages of some of the best artists working in and with black and white arts. From David Shrigley to Shantell Martin, we take an in-depth look at the complex nature at the heart of black and white works. Each artist has their own interpretations of their craft, and we have been showcasing snippets our their ideas. Today, we get insights from Nicomi Nix Turner, a Bay Area artist with a unique visual language and was one of the first artists we thought of when compiling the book.
"I like the way seeing something in black and white makes you feel. For me, it's like peeling away distractions and really sinking into an image. I grew up on old black-and-white movies, and I remember sitting there, obsessing about the color that wasn't there, and how its absence allowed the person watching to create those details for themselves, or to just ignore them altogether.
"With my work, I think that obsession over the lack of color carried over. Instead of color, I focus on the sensations that the details and tones imbue, in the same way that color would: deeply flushed cheeks in black and white can still invoke intensity without the red and pink hues. I like to think that the details create, in their own way, a conversation similar to interactions between colors.
"There's mystery in the absence of color. Even on its own, color infers a great deal. Black and white is kind of this harmonious space that does create something universal, by stripping away those personal or cultural inferences that color often brings with it." —Nicomi Nix Turner
