Global art and culture platform,Manju Journal, is an initiative dedicated to shining a light on contemporary African talent. Covering fashion, music, photography and society,Manju Journalchampions emerging creatives from the diaspora with a particular emphasis on authenticity. Established back in 2015 by Orlando Mensah, the Accra-based creative was soon joined by Kusi Kubi becoming fashion director. In those few short years,Manjuhas carved a name for itself by highlighting some of the most exciting unknown talent out there, while collaborating with the likes of Gucci and A Vibe Called Tech. In the famed fashion house’s first collaboration with an African-owned media platform, the recent campaign explores the Ghanaian concept of gender fluidity, as in most Ghanaian languages, pronouns are genderless.
Eric Hu, Manju Journal, Prarthna Singh and Sofie Birkin
As winter draws closer and many countries all over the globe introduce a further lockdown, there is one event which is keeping the beating heart of It’s Nice That pulsating with excitement: Nicer Tuesdays. This month is sure to be a corker with four incredibly talented speakers dialling in from far and wide. Taking place on Tuesday 24 November at 6 pm GMT on ouronline events platform, we invite you to indulge in the wise words of graphic designerEric Hu, arts and culture platformManju Journal, photographerPrarthna Singhand illustratorSofie Birkin.
Eric Hu is not just a designer working at the highest echelons of the industry, having been global design director of Nike sportswear and director of design at Ssense, he is also known for his highly respected criticality of thought, addressing prevalent issues in the creative industry and the wider world. For instance, as seen on his stream-of-consciousness-like Twitter feed. Additionally, he’s the creative mind behind the masthead and design ofMold Magazine– a publication all about the future of food – not to mention a myriad of album artworks, posters and logos. Discussing his extensive work to date, we are delighted to welcome the New York-based designer to the online Nicer Tuesdays stage later this month.
Manju Journal
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Prarthna Singh
Bombay-based photographer Prarthna Singh boasts an enviable list of clients fromThe New York Times,The Economist,FT Weekend,Wired,The Guardian, Nike and Instagram; just to name a few. Aside from these impressive commissions to date, it was Prarthna’s personal projects that really caught our attention, a practice focused on interrogating female identity in contemporary India, specifically at the intersection of gender and nation. Highlighting stories that delve deep into the matter first hand, she documented the women-led, sit-in Shaheen Bagh protests in New Delhi last year, objecting to the government’s discriminatory Citizen Amendment Act. While in another project,Champion– an ongoing body of work started six years ago which we’ll hear more about at Nicer Tuesdays – Prarthna powerfully captures portraits of female athletes in the northern state of Haryana.
Sofie Birkin
We first met Sofie Birkin earlier this year when the Denver-based illustrator appeared in our Ones to Watch 2020 lineup back in February. And now (lucky for us) she’s joining us as a speaker this coming Nicer Tuesdays to discuss her newly-illustrated book,Sex Ed. Diversity and queer visibility have always been paramount themes explored in the illustrator’s colourful works, subverting traditional ideas of femininity in turn. In her talk, she’ll take us through the illustrations for this refreshingly frank new release, a new kind of sex manual written by educator and body positivity advocate Ruby Rare.
