akingdoncomethas, 2018
Information about the artwork
- MaterialVideo, color, sound
- Video length 105 mins.
- Year of acquisition2019
- Inventory numberUAB 1238
- On viewCurrently not exhibited
- Copyright© Arthur Jafa, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photo: Fredrik Nilsen
More about the artwork
Arthur Jafa’s “akingdoncomethas” is a 105-minute video essay that combines footage of sermons, gospel choirs, and prayer gatherings in Black church communities to create a haunting collage. Instead of the rapid succesive images that characterize many of Jafa’s videos, here the long, uncut sequences unfold a panorama of emotions—from contemplative to ecstatic, melancholic to euphoric. Jafa deliberately eschews classical narrative structures: faces remain blurred, subtitles contain gaps—thus bringing the act of faith itself into focus. The images convey a form of Black communality that finds expression in song and prayer. They also emphasize its significance for African American culture, which is shaped by a long history of oppression and alienation, but also of resistance and hope. Interspersed footage of wildfires in California functions as an apocalyptic counterpoint to the spiritual community—a man-made hell on earth.
