{"id":1007599,"date":"2026-06-05T18:33:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T18:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1007599\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T18:33:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T18:33:22","slug":"tavares-strachans-first-monograph-surveys-an-encyclopedic-practice-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1007599\/","title":{"rendered":"Tavares Strachan’s First Monograph Surveys an Encyclopedic Practice \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tavares Strachan<\/a> is an artist whose interests, references, and approaches to making stretch so broadly, it\u2019s not surprising that one of his more well-known works is an encyclopedia. Created in 2018, the 2,400-page volume contains 15,000 entries on individuals, events, places, and more that are critical to understanding our shared history, and yet were omitted from the\u00a0Encyclopedia Britannica. This inverse book-cum-sculpture is one of many pieces within Strachan\u2019s oeuvre that question the narratives we collectively disseminate.<\/p>\n

Born in Nassau, the Bahamian artist<\/a> is one of the leading conceptual artists working today, and his first monograph, out this month from Phaidon, peers into decades of his expansive practice.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cEvery Tongue Shall Confess\u201d (2023), oil, enamel, pigment, and acrylic on two panels, 213 x 213 centimeters<\/p>\n

While much of Strachan\u2019s work considers colonialism and historical erasure, the artist is deeply rooted in the present and future. Our changing climate and the push for space exploration figure prominently and even sparked the scientific research platform, Bahamas Aerospace and Sea Exploration Center<\/a> (BASEC), which Strachan founded in 2018. That project launched a 3U satellite into space for a three-year orbit around the sun that same year, which shared the story of Robert Henry Lawrence Jr., the first African-American astronaut within any national space program.<\/p>\n

The book\u2019s release coincides with Strachan\u2019s exhibition The Day Tomorrow Began at The Pizzuti, part of the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio, which runs through January 3. In true Strachan fashion, creating the monograph goes beyond simply gathering the various projects and shows within his practice. \u201cWhen you make a book, you are participating in this very long historic lineage of bookmaking and sharing information,\u201d he says<\/a>, adding that there\u2019s a strong spiritual connection between presenting work in person and on the page.<\/p>\n

Get your copy from the Colossal Shop<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cIn Praise of Midnight (Christophe \u00d7 Napoleon)\u201d (2025), resin and steel, 485 x 345 x 155 centimeters<\/p>\n

\"an<\/a>\u201cThe Barber Shop\u201d (2025), performance, installation, dimensions variable. Installation view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cBlack Star\u201d (2024), aluminum, fiberglass, steel, painted wood, 543 x 1210 x 200 centimeters. Installation view at Hayward Gallery, London<\/p>\n

\"an<\/a><\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>Tavares Strachan, Isolated Labs, New York, 2025. Photo by Jason Schmidt<\/p>\n

\"the<\/a><\/p>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong> Become a Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n