Ulysses Jenkins, Pioneering Video Artist, Dies at 79

Ulysses Jenkins, a Los Angeles-born artist who became a trailblazing figure in Black experimental video, died on February 23, 2026, at the age of 79. His death was confirmed by his alma mater, Otis College of Art and Design.

Early Life and Education

Born in Los Angeles in 1946 to parents who had relocated from the South, Jenkins developed an early interest in art. He attended Hamilton High School before leaving to study at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969, majoring in painting and drawing [3]. Upon returning to Los Angeles, he exhibited his paintings and worked as a counselor for psychiatrically non-delinquent youth, incorporating art instruction into their treatment [3].

From Murals to Video Art

Jenkins began painting murals in 1972 after being inspired by the Los Angeles Fine Arts Squad, creating his first mural on the Venice Beach boardwalk [3]. This work, often collaborative and publicly displayed, became a platform for social commentary. Simultaneously, he became fascinated with portable video recorders and co-founded the media collective Video Venice News, documenting happenings in Southern California. This led to the creation of “Remnants of the Watts Festival” (compiled in 1980), a video commemorating the 1965 Watts Uprising and examining U.S. Government surveillance of the African American community [3].

Challenging Representations and Hollywood

Jenkins described himself as a “griot,” referencing the tradition of West African oral historians, and consistently challenged Eurocentric representations of Black Americans in popular culture [2]. He leveraged alternative media to explore themes of representation, race, gender, ritual, history, and power [1]. He critiqued the entertainment industry, stating in 1986 that “What Hollywood represents…is the classic plantation mentality” [2].

Key Works and Artistic Approach

Jenkins’ experimental video compositions included “Mass of Images,” which incorporated clips from D.W. Griffith’s “The Birth of a Nation,” and “Two-Tone Transfer,” depicting a “dreamscape” exploring the development of African American stereotypes in American entertainment [2]. He believed video art offered freedom from studio constraints, allowing him to address any issue without needing approval [2].

Teaching and Legacy

Jenkins studied with Charles White at Otis College in the late 1970s, and later returned as an instructor [2]. He also held teaching appointments at UCSD and UCI, where he co-founded the digital filmmaking minor with Bruce Yonemoto and Bryan Jackson [2]. His first major retrospective, “Ulysses Jenkins: Without Your Interpretation,” was presented at the Hammer Museum in 2022 and later traveled internationally [1]. Jenkins was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Art at the University of California, Irvine, and his work is held in major museum collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art [1].