Donald Rodney (1961-1998) was one of the most gifted, perceptive, and innovative contemporary British artists of his time. Donald Rodney: Art, Race and the Body Politic is the first book-length study of his protean practice. Dr. Richard Hylton explores the Rodney’s remarkable career and considers some of the challenges in writing a book of historical recovery.
Bio: Dr. Richard Hylton is a lecturer, curator, writer and artist. Since the early 1990s, he has organized a significant number of exhibitions and edited numerous publications including The Best of Janette Parris, Doublethink: Donald Rodney and The Holy Bible: Old Testament an artist book by David Hammons which he co-produced with Virginia Nimarkoh. In 2018, he was awarded a PhD from Goldsmiths, University of London, for his thesis A Labour of Love: The Politics of Presenting Contemporary Art as Part of Commemorations to Mark the United Kingdom’s Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act 1807-2007. His first book is The Nature of the Beast: Cultural Diversity and the Visual Arts Sector. This study of policies, initiatives and attitudes from 1976-2006 offered important perspectives on the British art establishment’s engagement with Black British artists. He is currently a Lecturer in Contemporary Art at SOAS, London. His writing has appeared in various journals and publications in the US and UK. He has recently produced Public Library UK Vol 1, After Kenneth Little, 2024, a limited edition spoken-word vinyl double LP about immigration and its legacies in Britain.