Bright and busy to the cusp of chaotic, the color employed by the artists in these films can’t be contained by a traditional palette. Instead, the hues fill compositions and entire walls to express the artist’s larger ideas, using color as a starting point to explore notions of memory, space, identity and more.

Inspired by the use of color inside and outside the art world, these artists fuse multiple influences to illuminate new ideas. The melding and merging of hues can serve as both a means and an end in abstract compositions, but many of these artists go beyond painting, using light, found objects, and even pollen to infuse their works with color.

The work of contemporary artists often goes beyond the creation of physical objects, instead urgently and directly engaging with the social and political landscape. This playlist features artists who bring their practice to the public to advocate on behalf a more fair, diverse, and inclusive world.

There are so many times in the process of making an artwork when the thing is just hideous and depressing. Unsticking the work from BAD can be a test of nerves but also an invigorating ride into a carefree nothing-to-lose place because any version of deeply uncomfortable is where opportunity resides. Every artist has their method for staying with discomfort but some kind of hard won confidence and a sense of humor are the shared threads.