Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.
An artwork’s color or composition can pull you in — and put you on the path to having important and difficult conversations, says artist Titus Kaphar. In this stunning talk, he reflects on his artistic evolution and takes us on a tour of his career — from “The Jerome Project,” which draws on religious icons to examine the US criminal justice system, to “From a Tropical Space,” a haunting body of work that centers around Black mothers whose children have disappeared. Kaphar also shares the idea behind NXTHVN, an arts incubator and community for young people in his hometown.
The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You’re welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know. For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), submit a Media Request here:
Old Dudes Wisdom - Life requires Wisdom Channel
July 24, 2020 at 5:34 pm
The things I find most beautiful about a person or thing are almost never physical 🖖
Kira Morris
July 24, 2020 at 6:04 pm
Same
Rajesh Kathiriya
July 24, 2020 at 7:32 pm
Somewhat same for me.
kathryn bromfield
July 24, 2020 at 5:34 pm
Thank you ❤️
M. Eren Ozyoldash
July 24, 2020 at 5:35 pm
So strong story
Hayden H
July 24, 2020 at 5:38 pm
More dads = better kids.
-Humanity
END TIMES
July 24, 2020 at 5:43 pm
Yesterday is HISTORY. Tomorrow is a MYSTERY. Today is GODS GIFT. That’s why its called THE PRESENT!!!
Higher Sofia
July 24, 2020 at 5:44 pm
Beautiful
Step Tart
July 24, 2020 at 5:48 pm
White people are the most beautiful in the world.
Travis Guy
July 24, 2020 at 5:51 pm
Words to live by; try not to be offensive, but try even harder to not be offended.
Isaac Root
July 24, 2020 at 5:55 pm
Wow this man is incredible. The Thomas Jefferson one hit me
Peter Laurence
July 24, 2020 at 6:14 pm
I find it beautiful when I watch a person pour their soul and time in doing the things they love.
r s
July 24, 2020 at 6:16 pm
I needed this. Thank you.
Bryan Peterson
July 24, 2020 at 6:18 pm
I appreciate you sir. Thank you to everyone who made this post possible.
585 Natural
July 24, 2020 at 6:30 pm
This is absolutely amazing ❤️❤️❤️
Play4peace
July 24, 2020 at 6:51 pm
beauty is when you …yes you stranger …without knowing me …without judging me subscribe to my channel ❤
Stephanie Elizabeth Mann
July 24, 2020 at 7:20 pm
Your work is beautiful. I will never understand not appreciate how precarious life is for people of colour living in America. I am sorry.
Goy Goddess 2
July 24, 2020 at 7:21 pm
Maybe you should try checking out Bob Ross, l think he knows about painting all the “brown skin” colors.
The Humble Hustle Show
July 24, 2020 at 7:40 pm
I’m attracted to big brainssss
cucu banana
July 24, 2020 at 7:44 pm
nice to see racism and hate can be stylized, TED how much have you fallen…
Moutaz Shams
July 24, 2020 at 7:54 pm
I believe all this is just politics
Simon
July 24, 2020 at 7:57 pm
Yes, I think white women are the most beautiful!
Cercabene
July 24, 2020 at 7:58 pm
Lol
Cercabene
July 24, 2020 at 7:59 pm
So does all of Asia apparently
Simon
July 24, 2020 at 8:00 pm
Cercabene lol, beauty dosen’t lie
Zenn Exile
July 24, 2020 at 8:17 pm
The virtue signal musk is strong with this one. They buzz about the comment section like eager flies to a warm poo milkshake. The slurping sounds reminiscent of an open air brothel for the mute and def. Enjoy this beautiful imagine I have painted upon your cortex in the language of boxed text. Slurp slurp.
Parker Gray, Realtor
July 25, 2020 at 4:05 pm
What a sad, insipid comment. Hopefully you can come to grips with your insecurities
Zenn Exile
July 25, 2020 at 6:24 pm
@Parker Gray, Realtor did you know this is how like 9 outa 10 people get screwed with on the internet? Just bustin in on something they don’t understand trying to take a position their eager emotions think they should support. Like a newFriend on the roodypoo network over there at 9gag postin when he shoulda been lurkin.
I hope you didn’t have secrets.
Zenn Exile
July 25, 2020 at 6:50 pm
@Parker Gray, Realtor also whooooosh.
LibertY
July 24, 2020 at 8:38 pm
SA 107 : Alexander Emelianenko vs Magomed Ismailov Full Battle on the channel
!
ปัญญา ฤกษ์สกุลชัย
July 24, 2020 at 10:06 pm
It know from who
Semper Fortis
July 25, 2020 at 1:17 am
Can TED open their hearts to difficult comments, by not censoring black people and their voices?
-N7-
July 25, 2020 at 7:02 am
YouTube censores me and I’m white, stop making this about race. It’s the YouTube algorithm lol
Semper Fortis
July 25, 2020 at 12:11 pm
@-N7-
Shouldn’t you be romancing an Ardat-Yakshi?
Semper Fortis
July 25, 2020 at 1:25 am
TED CENSORED MY BLACK VOICE FOR CALLING BS….
UNSUBSCRIBED!
Brendan Guymer
July 25, 2020 at 1:47 am
Racist
beatlesfreak89
July 25, 2020 at 1:59 am
This artwork is so beautiful and powerful. I felt emotionally moved and I kept thinking over and over again, “I really hope this is exhibited somewhere on the West Coast when we’re free to visit museums again.” People need to have more conversations. Art is a great way to begin.
Jeremy Lopes
July 25, 2020 at 2:36 am
Genius right there imo ! Whether or not the main ideas comes from him, the result is real precious creativity. If I could I would buy from him. Titus Kaphar I am a fan. 12:55 Many scientists would agree
Amanda Anderson
July 25, 2020 at 4:10 am
This is a conversation that needs to happen
-N7-
July 25, 2020 at 7:04 am
Vurtue signalling.
David Saintloth
July 25, 2020 at 7:06 am
Innovative, Brilliant work.
A Person
July 25, 2020 at 8:40 am
My answer to the question posed in the title is “yes”
Bella Andrade
July 25, 2020 at 9:14 am
Black dads are still absent.
Alianger
July 25, 2020 at 10:03 am
I think to step into those european masters’ shoes he would have to work for an oppressive government like china, iran or russia. That’s the context those painters were working in, they couldn’t just paint what they wanted. Anyway I liked some of these a lot.
Lol
July 25, 2020 at 11:32 am
I agree with first part of your comment. We have painter is in prison for sexual education painting in a special 18+ group…
Tropic Thunda Braddah
July 25, 2020 at 10:30 am
I always thought. The nervousness gives off a presence aka fear. Fear makes you worry which worrying too much drastically changes your thinking of approaching that person. Thinking too much is the same as worrying too much. Beauty doesnt do anything but attracts a persons attention and makes you think on your own perspective about the looks of it. Then you start to THINK. THINKING ruins confidence. Confidence burns down when you think too much. Just read this and listen. Dont think too much or you’ll have those small “maybe this” instead of the truth of my comment.
Dave Kemp
July 25, 2020 at 12:00 pm
This post is beautiful… thank you for the post and your art.
Tom's Ghost
July 25, 2020 at 3:06 pm
no, only language, grammar and context coupled with a willingness to learn and empathy can do so.
Rajlakshmi Chavan
July 25, 2020 at 4:03 pm
this is beautiful.
HugoCool
July 25, 2020 at 4:18 pm
Yeah probably there weren’t any formulas for your skin tones in the 1820’s because those artists were a bunch of racists and thought you were ugly..
Because there were soooooooo many black people in France by that time…
come on man, there probably weren’t many wealthy black patrons in that time, especially in France or the Netherlands.
Probably if you looked in Greece or Italy there would have been a richer palette of skin tones.
If there exists no formula how about you take it open yourself to create it and share it with the world instead of blaming people you don’t know..
These baseless and useless accusations really distract from your message!
I want to hear your solutions, not your self indulgent gripes with history.
alarcon99
July 25, 2020 at 6:43 pm
We will continue to be diminished as a society as long as anyone is seen as less than simply because of the color of their skin.
Jeremiah Walker
July 25, 2020 at 11:18 pm
💛
Aigerim Khassenova
July 26, 2020 at 5:55 am
Thanks for clear and understandable speech, especially for non-native English speakers like me. How quietly and spiritually it’s told, not as a toungetwister that I listen to. The speech is provided from the heart, consequently it has entered into my heart, because there are comparable things with real life cases.
S N.
July 26, 2020 at 6:47 am
Well-spoken, ingenious, and thought-provoking. Thank you for sharing your perspective and passions… your mind is truly beautiful.
cara
July 26, 2020 at 7:00 pm
Absolutely beautiful
Virgin_Mary _In_Islam
July 26, 2020 at 9:27 pm
Prophet Muhammad said : “Verily Allah does not look to your faces and your wealth but He looks to your heart and to your deeds”
Reference : Sahih Muslim 2564
Vance H
July 26, 2020 at 11:40 pm
Unity in Diversity.
Roya Ebrahim
July 27, 2020 at 4:20 am
❤
Olof Thorn
July 27, 2020 at 6:19 am
There are instructions for how to draw white skin because Europe has had a civilization that creates advanced arts for a long time. I’m sure that in China you can find instructions on how to draw the skin-tone of Chinese people. The lack of African artist is not due to oppression, it’s due to a lack of African high culture that produces that level of artists and art. Stop blaming white people for everything. Take responsibility and be the positive change. This guy has a lot of talent so write those instructions of how to draw dark skin. Be the positive change instead of blaming others for not doing it for you.
Jim Meh
July 27, 2020 at 8:53 am
8:30 please address how “hands up Don’t shoot” is a propaganda tool that never actually happened. It’s a lie created to add flames to a narrative.
I THOUGHT THIS CHANNEL WAS ABOUT ADDING POSITIVE TO THE WORLD NOT FALSE INFORMATION.
Jim Meh
July 27, 2020 at 8:55 am
Any black person obsessed with history like this cannot be a happy person. how could you possibly obsess over any sort of negativity and be happy? Every single race throughout history has some bad stuff happen to them let alone bad stuff to individuals regardless of race. Living life everyday obsessing over sadness cannot be healthy.
Sheila Sletmoe
July 27, 2020 at 1:05 pm
Our society needs beauty. Even though we all are drawn to people who are familiar to us – I believe in seeing the beauty in all people – both physical and character beauty. The cruelty and thoughtlessness of people …if only they could understand the beauty of creation and individuality of each human being. I love that you are acting on your belief about beauty and sharing it in communities where it is needed.
Rain
July 27, 2020 at 4:09 pm
Much needed 🙌
Fam Fam
July 28, 2020 at 12:04 am
This dude is a racist, painting over white people…
Rebecca Leeman
July 28, 2020 at 11:21 pm
This guys good !
Black Painters Matter