Byzantine Bembé: New York by Manny Vega

I’m delighted to share the publication of Byzantine Bembé: New York by Manny Vega, the first catalogue dedicated to the work of this wonderful, if under appreciated, NYC artist. Vega’s work mixes spirituality with the keen observation of the music, street life, and Latin diasporic communities of his native city. Today he works primarily in mosaic — imbedding his artistic vision into the fabric of the city itself — particularly the blocks at the heart of East Harlem — but his drawings, watercolors, and beadwork transcend easy categorization. The book’s essays take on Vega and his work through a variety of angles from short-form memoir to deep art-historical scholarship. I was happy to serve as project manager/copy editor to bring this bilingual labor of love to life working with curator Monxo López, Giles publishing, and essayists including John Ahearn, Ágnes Berecz, David González, Elena Martínez and Bobby Sanabria, and Andrea Meyers Achi.

Some photos from the book launch at MCNY