As We Rise

As We Rise presents an exciting compilation of photographs from African diasporic culture. With over one hundred works by Black artists from Canada, the Caribbean, Great Britain, and the United States, as well as throughout the continent of Africa, this volume provides a timely exploration of Black identity on both sides of the Atlantic.

Drawn from Dr. Kenneth Montague’s Wedge Collection in Toronto—a Black-owned collection dedicated to artists of African descent—As We Rise looks at the multifaceted ideas of Black life through the lenses of community, identity, and power. Established artists such as Stan Douglas, Seydou Keïta, Jamel Shabazz, and Carrie Mae Weems, as well as younger artists including LaToya Ruby Frazier, Texas Isaiah, Rashid Johnson, Zanele Muholi, Ebony Patterson, and Dawit L. Petros touch on themes of agency, beauty, joy, belonging, subjectivity, and self-representation. With contributions by writers such as Isolde Brielmaier, Teju Cole, Thelma Golden, and Mark Sealy, As We Rise brings together a community of voices to provide insight and commentary on this monumental collection.