akingdoncomethas, 2018
Information about the artwork
- MaterialVideo, color, sound
- Duration 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.
Arthur Jafa: akingdoncomethas
untilFor the first time, Arthur Jafa’s epic film “akingdoncomethas” (2018) will be presented in Europe. In it, the artist and filmmaker weaves together found internet clips of sermons, gospel choirs, and prayer gatherings into a dense collage. The work powerfully foregrounds Black communal and spiritual practice in the United States and has been a part of the Brandhorst Collection since 2019. For Museum Brandhorst and MUNICH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Arthur Jafa has also curated the film program “A Peculiar Vantage: A Selection of Black Cinema,” which is being presented in cinemas across Munich.
