Arthur Jafa: Love is the Message, The Message is Death, ICA/Boston, June 27–September 30, 2018

Artist, cinematographer, and filmmaker Arthur Jafa frequently states that he hopes to create cinema that “replicates the power, beauty, and alienation of Black music.” Jafa’s Love is the Message, The Message is Death is a single-channel video installation set to Kanye West’s gospel-inspired song “Ultralight Beam.” It comprises original and found footage as well as scenes from his well-known 2014 documentary Dreams are Colder than Death, which lyrically reflects on Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and contemporary Black experiences. Amplified by the musical track, Love is the Message presents glimpses of the joys, traumas, and beauty of Black life—nuanced, complex, and multifaceted—in the United States.