Ulysses Jenkins, a pioneering video artist, muralist, and performer, has died at the age of 79. His passing was confirmed by the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the institution that hosted his major 2022 retrospective, "Without Your Interpretation." Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jenkins dedicated his career to using the camera as a tool for social commentary, famously documenting the Watts Festival to counter negative media stereotypes and exploring the complex relationship between mass media and Black American identity.
Jenkins is remembered as a "video griot" who transformed the medium of video art into a collaborative and archival practice. By challenging the unilateral narratives of mainstream television and government surveillance, he empowered marginalized communities to reclaim their own images. His death marks the loss of a foundational figure in the Los Angeles art scene whose work remains critically relevant in today's era of digital circulation and political volatility.