Brilliant: Unexpected Art from Everywhere [9781580937573]

Overview

Original outpourings from 60 exceptional creative minds working in the arts and literature today, curated by a new kind of arts platform

Brilliant: Unexpected Art from Everywhere is a bold, visually rich celebration of today’s most exciting artists. Curated by WePresent, an award-winning digital arts and editorial platform telling unexpected stories of creativity from across the globe, many of these artworks have never before been published in print. They range from Mous Lamrabat’s color-saturated exploration of ’90s nostalgia in 2025 Senegal and Qatar, to behind-the-scenes looks at Riz Ahmed and Aneil Karia’s Oscar-winning short film The Long Goodbye and the making of FKA twigs’ electrifying music video Cellophane. Photographs by Quil Lemons, Micaiah Carter, and Renell Medrano, as well as a manifesto by Marina Abramović and an essay by Roxane Gay, were created especially for this book.

Themed around the concept of “discovery,” the featured works address a diverse range of topics, including cultural memory, immigration, the female gaze, physical transformation, and the internet. They are rendered in mediums from painting and drawing to photography, film, and music video. Each work is accompanied by a profile of the artist, providing both context and a broader look at their creative process.

These image-rich artist profiles are punctuated by literary essays and short fiction, and punchy graphic “manifestos” – guides from the likes of Ai Weiwei and Sheila Heti to living a fulfilling creative life.

Evidence that there are infinite ways to express oneself, and that brilliant, unexpected art is being created all around the world every day, Brilliant is an inspiring, untraditional art survey designed for a new generation of creators, collectors, and culture-seekers.

Featured creators include: Russell Tovey, Roxane Gay, Jarvis Cocker, Olivia Laing, Caleb Azumah Nelson, David Sedaris, Marina Abramović, Riz Ahmed, Annie Atkins, Isamaya Ffrench, Sheila Heti, Kneecap, Quil Lemons, Mous Lamrabat, Renell Medrano, Flo Ngala, Polly Nor, Moses Sumney, FKA twigs, Pussy Riot, Tillie Walden, Qualeasha Wood, and Ai Weiwei.