A Gaze on Black Joy

Abstract This essay presents a theory of con-artistry as a queer practice of Black joy that claims relational and material abundance in the face of tropes of deviance and conditions of austerity. Drawing on auto-theory and describes how media-making can foment Black pleasure and institutional critique, it includes a discussion of the author's 2020 film Everyday Black Matter as a documentation of radical Black gathering in Richmond, Virginia. The film centers nuanced conversations about Black joy as a critical practice and the subversive efforts some are willing to undergo to secure it. Inspired by their theories of aesthetics, deviance, and femme worldmaking, the author collaborated with Jillian Hernandez, whose contribution “Ca$h App Connectivities” is included in this issue, to develop a conversation that centers everyday Black matter and extended well beyond the pages of this journal.