Zoë Hopkins Explores Black Graphic Scores as Visual Culture in ArtReview
In the September 2026 edition of ArtReview, critic Zoë Hopkins examines the interplay between black visual and musical cultures, focusing on the legacy of black graphic scores. She draws on the insights of thinkers such as Amiri Baraka, Arthur Jafa, and Fred Moten, who contend that black visual culture is trailing behind its musical counterpart. Hopkins elaborates on graphic scores, which merge musical notation with visual artistry, enabling performers to interpret sound in a visual context. She references works by Julius Eastman, Anthony Braxton, Renee Gladman, and Jennie C. Jones, showcasing how these scores embody black sonic improvisation. Ultimately, Hopkins argues that graphic scores offer a distinctive avenue for black visual expression in a modernity that frequently scrutinizes black identities.
Key facts
- Zoë Hopkins authored the article in the September 2026 issue of ArtReview.
- Thinkers Amiri Baraka, Arthur Jafa, and Fred Moten have argued that black visual culture lags behind black musical culture.
- Graphic scores involve either braided musical notation and visual elements or the complete metamorphosis of notation into visual signs.
- Julius Eastman was among the first to experiment with graphic scores; his Buddha (1984) features concentric circles evoking the Zen Buddhist ensō.
- Anthony Braxton's Composition 76 (1977) uses colour-coded geometric shapes to encode mood, with green for calm and red for explosive.
- Renee Gladman's Slowly We Have the Feeling: Score (2019–22) combines musical notation, mathematical notation, and pastel abstractions.
- Jennie C. Jones's Score for a Sustained Blackness (2014–16) seeks 'the time signature of blackness' through minimalist form.
- Hopkins argues that graphic scores offer black visuality a chance at the mysticism of black sonic improvisation, using sight for occultation rather than revelation.
Entities
Artists
- Zoë Hopkins
- Amiri Baraka
- Arthur Jafa
- Fred Moten
- Julius Eastman
- Renee Gladman
- Anthony Braxton
- Jennie C. Jones
Institutions
- ArtReview
- Artists Space
Locations
- New York
- United States