The Experience Mag - FALL 2017

I AM YOU AS YOU ARE ME AND WE ARE HERE TOGETHER

THE EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE FALL 2017

STRETCH YOUR HANDS I AM YOU AS YOU ARE ME EASURE PRESENT IS OUR PL

ART BY AMBER IMAN

bobby seale_speaks - Edited pg. 86

To understand male chauvinism one has to understand that it is interlocked with racism. The taboo on sex was absurd in the first place because 3 billion people got on this earth that way. A good part of racism is the absurd psychological fears on the part of people who think that the black man has a bigger penis than the white.

Thus male supremacy on the basis of sexual organs can be connected to racial supremacy arrived at through the notion of sexual differences by race.

What they do is oppress the black woman. Their black racism leads to theories of male domination as well. Thus black racists come to the same conclusions that white racists do with respect to their women. I don’t think that women who want liberation want penises-they just want to be treated as human beings on an equal basis, just as blacks who demand the liberation of their people. In other words, the idea of saying “keep a woman in her place” is only a short step away from saying “keep a nigger in his place.” As Eldridge said in his book, “the white woman is a symbol of freedom in this country.”

Now You KNOW DAMN Nnnn nn well !!

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SPECIAL THANKS SPECIAL THANKS SPECIAL THANKS SPECIAL THANKS

PINK BANDANAZ NYC ARTSYWINDOW MLNNNYC S.T.A.R.C.H ROCIO MARIE THE NYC GRIND MINIMAL STYLE DAILY LORNA SIMPSON THE BOOGIE DOWN BRONX CAFE EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTS US SPIKE LEE... ONE DAY YOU’LL REGRET PLAYING ME - JAY STONE

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THE EXPERIENCE MAG: FALL 2017

EDITOR - PRESIDENT: JAY STONE ASSISTANT EDITORS: FVDGENASTE | KIARA VENTURA | Beryl Briane Ford CREATIVE TEAM: JASMINE CHRISPIN | JULY QUIN | FVDGENASTE CONTRIBUTORS: STEVEN FERRARI, VENUS FLOWERS BASHY BROOKLYN, SOLARIS SAPIENTE PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM: JULY QUIN | ROD PORTER | VICTORIA CRUZ | NELSON MEDINA TABLE OF CONTENTS PG: 10 BLACK BOY FEELINGS PG: 20 PHOENIXX RISING PG: 28 DETAILS 97 PG: 40 JAZO BROOKLYN PG: 46 the progeny of oppression PG: 50 ARTSY WINDOW: FEMINIST MAMI PG: 56 THE MOON GOD PG: 62 WATCH THAT BLACK GIRL FLY PG: 72 MAMA LUNA PG: 80 FALL 2017 LOOK BOOK

PG: 94 ARTSY WINDOW: CASENA KARIM PG: 99 INTERCEPTING INTERSECTIONALITY PG: 100 stfu & LISTEN PG: 110 SKY MIGHT FALL PG: 118 THE AFRO DEITY

EDITORS NOTE BY JAY STONE

THE EXPERIENCE MAG + ART BASEL

MAY 17 2013

CULTURE

the real is back for the first time niggas are contemporary

niggas been the blacks browns and latinos of modern arts

REVOLUTION

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C Y A L S BO B G S K N G I S C N L I A G E L L N E E I BF E L F E Y E O (black) boys to men.jpg Y F O Y B A SIT DOWN WITH JEANA LINDO O K S B C NG AND RICHARD BRYAN A K I L C BY JASMINEA CHRISPIN WITH JAY STONE L B E L E PHOTOS

BY JULY QUIN B F S S Y G G N I N I L N I L E L E E E F E FE F Y Y BO O B K C K A C A S BL L GB N I S L E NG E F Y O B K C A L B

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JC: What was the inspiration moment for this book? Our community always talks about how we need to provide spaces for black men to feel more vulnerable but what was the catalyst to put this book into motion?

RB: I feel like community has only really just started trying to create spaces for black men to chat and shit. I guess the inspiration for this book was being black in america. I went to the barber and got a line-up. The guy who cut my hair did it better than my old barber and I sent Jeana a text like “when your new barber cuts your hair better than your old barber & you feel like you’re cheating.” She sent me back “#blackboyfeelings” and I think I called her “Yo we gotta run with this.”

JL: I feel like I had a different mind of thought in that. Not that it was like “Oh shit we’re on to something!” But I said what if #blackboyfeelings was an actual hashtag and then we talk about what that could actually be like. We went around with various ideas of how we could develop blackboyfeelings and I was asking what are some specific feelings? What are things that only a black boy experiences? And then we made some facebook statuses trying to gather info from people.

RB: We decided on the book before we started gathering information. There was no fleshing out the idea.

JL: We wanted to do tee shirts! Not to promote the book but shirts more so like an art idea. For people to wear “Black Boy Feelings” to discuss what are some of these feelings like how getting your hair cut is a thing...

RB: (Talking to Jeana) There was a book idea before we left. It was like the first idea, you wanted to do a zine.

JC: Are you talking about this picture of you guys? Is that the trip you’re referring to? I wanted to ask about this. I thought it was important that you put a picture of you guys together but particularly this picture. Can you tell me about that trip because it seems important... How does the creation of this book and this trip intersect?

JL: We went to the British Virgin island for 5 days. We had a boat and there was an old man who drove the boat. It was just the 3 of us black folks on this boat. We’re having this experience of being surrounded by rich white families. We wrote this song called “Young, Black & On Vacation.” Thats when BlackBoyFeelings was more important. We really had to do it after that. That summer was really turbulent because it was the same time when all these black people were being publicly murdered and white people were like “DID YOU SEE THE VIDEO” RB: Yeah niggas were getting clapped left & right!

JL: That was Alston Sterling and in the same week Philando Castile! And we’re saying “does anyone even care” so now we have to do this book because we love us.

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(black) boys to men.jpg

THE EXPERIENCE MAG + FALL 2017

“A lot of black men, their development is arrested. So they never progress past 13 years old. Niggas is still BOYS thats why niggas do dumb shit.

Its like my nigga: you don’t know any better and that sucks...”

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JC: The way I would classify your book would be an anthology because it has work from you dotted in it but from other artists because you did this open call.

JL: As we would go around the city we would ask people. We would be on the train wondering “Is that a creative man?” We’d ask them to send in their work, get their info, take pictures. Theres a picture of a shark with tentacles from this guy we met at Union Square. I told him we’d scan his picture so we can put it in the book. Richard was calling his friends like “GET YOUR WORK IN.”

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RB: Yeh I pressed niggas everyday for art. For me, that anthology shit is important when you’re making stuff to consider where it lies amongst the zeitgeist and amongst all the things that came before you and will come after.

Theres so many people who have different experiences than me but because of this thing that we share, we have so many similar experiences. Its cool to show that niggas arent lying,s hit sucks... its not always bad. But alot of this shit is fucking rough and its hard to hear about someone dying. Its a bigger impact when heres a collection of feelings, expression and art, good and bad.

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JL: I felt it would be important for men to hear from other men. I’m not a black man so I can’t speak for them. We want guys to look at this and say “Hey maybe I can open up now because someone else did the same. It made me feel something so I think its cool to talk too.” And even if they aren’t telling their friends whats going on with them, they can write about it and feel better. They’ve left it out. We wanted everyone to feel comfortable. We said they can be anonymous too. Theres some anonymous pieces in here too.

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JC: How do you identify and how does this work impacted you since you worked so closely with it?

JL: Its been a very long and emotional journey. I’m really happy when I see a social worker or someone who works with kids, say that this book will help them in their work and impacted them. Just to hear some of the boys say thank you for providing this space. Personally my own work is about blending space for other people’s voices. Its very fulfilling.

JC: Its a dope piece of work to me. I know when I read it in 2 days I was like every nigga I know needs to have this book!

RB: I’ve heard that a couple of times! That’s the best thing. From when we made it, I can feel that its going to impact a lot of people cause beyond black people we set the tone for the culture. Even if you aren’t black you want to absorb it somehow. Richard Wright wrote this book called “Black Boy.” He comes outta slavery and he was wyling. The book is really good and I think about Walter D Myers, his autobiography is called “Bad Boy.” I talk to even white people who simultaneously excited by it and aversed to it. Even the fact its called “Black Boy Feelings” I had this old white artist who was like “Idk if I’m gonna say that” I’m like “THATS THE TITLE OF THE BOOK!” He goes “Why Black Boy Feelings”

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JC: I had that question too. I feel like my perception of it was “black boy” as opposed to “black man.” Boy has this vulnerabilty and also theres this connotation of boy in the black community in general that goes back to slave master shit. So its like this power distribution. I think it speaks in volumes about that.

JS: Even when we’re young, we’re taught a certain way. We can’t have a certain vulnerability. You gotta man up! Don’t cry or throw some dirt on it or some shit. So that’s what I got out of Black Boy Feelings, cause at that age range you’re not even taught to express yourself in a vulnerable way. So you grow up, pretty fucked coming out of that.

RB: A lot of black men, their development is arrested. So they never progress past 13 years old. Niggas is still BOYS thats why niggas do dumb shit. Its like my nigga just because you don’t know any better and that sucks... even if someone tries to teach you better, at a certain point you’re going to push against anything you don’t fuck with. And to the other end of it, look at how frequently young black boys are seen as hyper threatening and shit. You’re looking at 12 year old kids and its like “This young man...” Why “this young man” unless I need a job.

JL: We wanna allow for them to be boys. They wanna take our childhood away from us all the time. My friend made this video of these young black boys playing with water guns. It was so touching to me and its terrible that we have to be excited about young black boys have fun. That’s what important and that’s what we have here. These people expressing themselves in various ways. We wanted the artwork to reflect many different skill levels and styles. We aren’t some zombie art magazine that says “you must draw really well.” What’s well?

JC: Our topic that we’re talking about right now is intersectionality. The intersectionality of identities and how I’m not just black, I’m a woman and i’m not just a black woman, i’m a queer black woman. How all those intersections connect?

JL: There’s a lot of people who dub this as a queer book because its about feelings. Theres some stories by queer or gay men in there. Whats really special is from my friend who wrote about being African black and gay, crying on the subway. How he’s been taught to never show emotions because of his upbringing. Theres space for everyone here. I really hate that theres some people who say we can’t fight for black gays rights. But black gays are people too! Also BLM started by queer black women so what you doing?! We are all here and we are all deserved to be here. So this book isn’t about being gay its about being emotional. Being emotional doesn’t make you gay and there’s nothing wrong with being gay either.

RB: The pieces from straight black men sharing shit about how they feel and their art for me, was a big deal because that’s completely outside of the spectrum of black culture and masculinity. Getting work from people I know who don’t identify as an artist but just as black and as a man...delving deep to make the work happen, was pretty strong to me.

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JL: Yeah we’re thinking about straight black men when we think about how you’re not going to expect to see a black man poet talk about something other than “black power!” We wanted to see emotions from men who are wrapped up in toxic or hyper masculinity. You wanna present yourself as a man and be a certain way so you hold everything in and you front. You dont tell anyone whats going on with you. So if you fall into the queer spectrum you’re more likely to not be hiding that. Theres a space for you. Even in all these women groups on facebook to find jobs and we’re all out here like “I found this job for you girl!”

I’m like I wish there was something like this for black men. Then my black male friend will explain “why would we do that when seeking help from someone means weakness.”

RB: Black men were already bottom of the totem pole. One of the ways to raise up is in a lot of people’s minds, is to push off the backs off other people. And it’s like a “pick me!” type shit. Well “we both can’t be in the same field here cause if you’re nice also, i’m scared about my own ability. And you might get the job over me” that shit is so dumb. Bright light shining next to each other don’t diminish each other. Part of that, also black community doesn’t exist in actual unity. Black people are always trying to finesse. When you’re playing defense for so long, you have to do more to get your share. A lot of peope look at that like “Well fuck this nigga over here too.” Instead of if I get strong and you get strong, and we help each other out, we get farther than we ever been.

JS: Who is Claude McKay JL: He is a gay black Jamaican poet, communist. He grew up in colonial Jamaica around all the black people. Then he moved to Kingston where the white people lived and was like “oh shit racism!” and that inspired a lot of his early work. Then he moved to America.

RB: He came to Harlem and was apart of the Harlem Renaissance (Langston, Baldwin, etc) those niggas!

JL: He had hella books, touring the world as a single man. He wrote this old english poetry, reminded me of Edgar Allan Poe but a black guy.

RB: For me I really liked the shit he did once he came to America like this poem “subway wind” and most of my art is about the train. Its cool seeing this Jamaican man living in Harlem writing about grimy ass subway wind. Those tunnels are mad old. His work is in there too. Thinking about time and where it is this piece fits in the entirety of black art and black art in America.

JL: We didn’t want him to get lost. Its important that people know his name.

So we wanted to big him up and feature him in the book. We had him as our pseudonym cause that was fun for people to get emails from Claude McKay and maybe people would look him up.

JC: The reason why I wanted you guys to be in the magazine is cause I care and I believe. There needs to be more of this shit!!!!!

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I THOROUGHLY BELIEVE THAT IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOU IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT YOU DID YOU CAN ALWAYS REDEEM YOURSELF YOU CAN ALWAYS HAVE THE POWER TO BE BETTER IN EVERY SINGLE WAY. BUT IF YOU WANT TO BE SOMETHING GREAT YOU HAVE THAT POWER TOO. WE ALL NEED REMINDERS OF OUR GREATNESS AND JUST SHIT ABOUT LIFE I JUST WANT TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT YOU CAN RISE FROM WHATEVER ASHES YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY.

(n) A legendary bird which according to one account lived 500 years, burned itself to ashes on a pyre, and rose alive from the ashes to live another period.

Interview: Jay Stone Photos: July Quin INSTAGRAM.COM/PHOENIXXFLIX/

JS: Serious question…. Were you born with a camera in hand? I’ve never seen you without one. What was it that drew you into photography & film?

PHX: My dad he is kind of like a jack of all trades and dabbled in stuff, and one of those things was photography. So, I was blessed to learn that at an early age. How I got into film was I took a bunch of pictures really, really, quickly and when I went to go see them I saw that it did motion. I was like oh my god, I should just switch to video! And that’s just what happened, I switched to video. But I remember my first video, it was funny too. I made a whole video on why I should have a cat and why my parents should let me have a cat, and I got the cat! I cut out cardboard stuff and was like this is where he would sleep, this is where his liter pan would go. Isn’t that funny?

I think I just got drawn into film because what’s not beautiful about motion? You know, you can tell so much by body language. Also, I love, love, film but dancers? I love filming dancers, it’s so beautiful, so gorgeous, especially when they’re gorgeous!

JS:Self-taught in both?

PHX: Yes, just a lot of YouTube videos. I mean, I can’t say self-taught because I’ve had mentors. But I went out there and bugged people. I was kind of like, “hey what’s this, what’s that, what’s this, and how do I get this?” Yea, staying up late on YouTube and practicing, a lot, a lot, of practicing and a lot of shitty footage. A lot of shitty footage but that’s how you learn.

I had a whole conversation about how a lot of people, by a lot of people I mean only a few people but, they don’t consider photography art. They don’t think photographers are artist because their logic is if you take a picture its done. If you want to edit it, you edit it and then it’s done, so there is no art to it. But there is a certain art to it because you have to have a certain eye and skill level to detect color temperature, to detect the size of the shadow, the angling and stuff like that, even post-production like editing. But I mean it’s the same thing as a painting, you put one line on it and be like “it’s done”, you know? So, I don’t know but its very interesting.

JS: Your work evokes a lot of authenticity. Its clear you have a way of seeing the world that’s different than most (DEFINITELY QUOTED YOU HERE CAUSE IT FELT APPROPRIATE) I’m curious to know what & who inspires you?

PHX: A lot inspires me, pain, pain obviously. I feel pain is a good inspiration for all artists. A lot of things inspire me, things from like what’s going on in the media to what I see every day, what I look, at the people I look at. As far as the people that inspire me, I’d say my friends, I would say the resilient people. You know those that no matter how shitty their life is, or a period of their life is, they’re just like nope I’m not giving up this is what I want to do. Those people inspire me. And it’s like how can I want to give up if you’re going through that and you’re not giving up? That kind of stuff. I don’t know, I think every artist inspires me. Every artist that puts in dedication, and just that little bit of “them” into their art, you know? Not those that want to do it for other reasons or whatever the case is, but they inspire me.

JS: What are your thoughts on the industry & what are some of the biggest obstacles that the industry presents?

PHX: Obviously being a woman in the film industry that is ran by males is very difficult because men have, no offense, men have this macho, and its so fucked up and cliché to say, but men have this macho attitude like it’s my way or nothing. I’ve seen make directors and VPs literally act like a pompous jerk and be like “Nope, this is it. THIS is what I want!” Also, females, I noticed being on female productions and sets, we’re a lot more problem solving than men and quick. A man I’ve noticed if they don’t have something, they’re like “oh man, this what I’d want if I had that, but I don’t have that. But if I had that...” They just get stuck on the problem whereas to women are a lot more innovative. They’re like “well we don’t have this but what do we have?

What can we produce with what we have? Let’s think of a solution.” I think the fact that they work together so well, and they’re not full of ego. For the most part, because obviously girls can be very petty as well. But I think being in an industry, any female that is in that industry, you’re in it because you love doing what you do. You just want to get it done, you want to create something good. So, being a woman, I’ve heard “don’t break a nail”. Cliché as fuck, right?

I’ve had people make me feel like I’m inferior as to the fact that I can’t do my job. Anything I’d do it’s like “Mm, I don’t think she can do that, she can’t get that done” kind of thing. And its fucked up to say because we’re like in 2017, you would think that its not. But yea it’s difficult or they just want to fuck you, like that’s a real problem because no body is going to take you seriously. You’ll try to talk to them about something within production, like mines, and they’ll just suddenly say remarks. Suddenly they just give the hint that they would fuck you or they always try to get into your personal business. Bro, like I’m here to work don’t worry about who I fuck.

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JS: Tell me about the one project of yours that you’re most proud of….

PHX: Hmm.. I think it would have to be the black lives matters one that I did, it’s called “#SpeakYourMind. Only because it was the most powerful, thought provoking one and there was so much dynamics within it that I hope people see. The fact that when the whole black lives matter movement started picking up obviously the rest of the world was like “holy shit, like why?” I felt hopeless, I felt like I couldn’t do shit. But being a videographer, there’s something more powerful in that, especially in this day and age, because of the media we have the power to make the world see again. To see in a way and collaborate with other artists in ways that you can’t really imagine. Having visuals with music is super powerful because the world is ran by visuals. Everything we see from the lights, to the screens on 42nd street, to what’s on your phone, to just the way signs are put up, everything is visually appealing to catch your eye.

Music is so powerful, you listen to one song, you can be sad.. if you listen to another song, it’s so powerful. So, combining those two or just combining poetry and words to be able to provoke feelings and thoughts, that’s what I really wanted to do with that video, and I did it.

It was funny because there was controversy too because the majority of those people weren’t really dark, dark skinned people, they were light skinned Hispanics. There are 100 or 200, whatever, there’s like a lot of Puerto Ricans or Dominicans, a lot of Hispanics, that get shot by the cops all the time, but we are not covered by media or we are not shown as much. I had somebody, she was a darker skinned person she was like “Hispanics should worry about Hispanics and let black people worry about black people.” I was so crushed by that, I felt such a.. I can’t really explain it. I felt like the plates of the Earth shifted. Like why are we that divided that you can’t see that we are not treated just as much as you are, we are not treated with respect as much as you are? The fact that Hispanics A) we are not really Hispanics; A lot of us are Tainos, and like we were forced to speak Spanish. We were bred with them just as much as you guys were. Plus, we are black. I have great grandmothers that are literally African. Like we are just a boat stop away guys, like that’s all we were. It was really horrifying to see how much hatred was in the world and how much segregation there was. It was my intent, being that people see the light skinned, even though it’s the light skinned Hispanics, and you know there were dark skinned people, but the majority was light skinned Hispanics or light skinned black. Seeing that and being able to feel the pain and what the world was going through, although despite the color of the people’s skin, they were able to see past that. And two, the poet that I had write the piece is a light skinned like she can pass as white. You can see her, and you wouldn’t even think she’s Hispanic. We had the controversy where I had placed a skittles shot, for when they got shot, and it was a nice little great close-up. Ironically, the skittles that we got was a fourth of July skittle bag, and the skittles were red, white, and blue. And the shot was beautiful, the guys hand fell the skittles popped, everything was beautiful. But the fact that came out later, I had three people in the video contact me and they were like “hey, we love that shot. It’s beautiful, it’s one of the most impactful shots of the video. But do you think it’s going cause a problem if the guys hand is white, like completely, like he was really white.” It was up in the air because I was like well that’s the purpose of the video to show it’s not the same, but I also wanted to be considerate of if the kid’s parents saw it and felt like it wasn’t represented right. So, we re-shot it, we compromised ourselves a little bit. But yea, that was the best project for me. There are other projects that obviously, with my skill level that I’m really proud of. But I think that one the most, and I could really give back to the world on that one.

PHOENIXXPHOENIXX

JS: Is there any correlation between your name & your amazing motivational videos? It almost feels like you’re encouraging positive reinvention through rebirth of ones self.

PHX: Absolutely there’s a correlation, it’s funny because I do those videos, and everyone always hits me up like “Oh my god, thank you. I needed that, you make me feel like I can live my life.” I’m like great that’s my purpose in sharing them! The real reason I started posting them is because I needed a constant reminder of what it is to be a great person. The reason I have the name that I have is, which is so funny because it was my first tattoo, but I was going through a lot of shit. I feel like I grew up a lot earlier than anyone should grow up and that’s unfortunately the story of a lot of New Yorker’s because it’s such a dog eat dog world out here. But I thoroughly believe, I don’t even feel like, I believe like, I know this, that it does not matter what is happening to you it does not matter what you did you can always redeem yourself, you can always have the power to be better in every single way. In the most minute ways where it’s like maybe I should be more conscious of people’s time, or like fuck I hurt someone really badly, or I’m fucking up by being a drug addict. Whatever it is that you’re not happy with yourself and you feel like you need to be better, just know you can be better. Because a lot of people will sit there and say, “I wish I was like this, I wish I was like that” but they don’t believe in themselves enough to go out there and try to be like that because they feel like they could never be like that. It’s like no, you could always be what ever you want to be. If you want to be a scumbag, you’re going to be that, you have the power to be a scumbag. But if you want to be something great, you have that power too. These celebrities that everybody worships, they’re people.

They’re people that do fucked up shit, they’re people that will probably doubt themselves too.

But they had the same 24 hours that everybody has, and you can do it. It doesn’t matter what you’re going through, it doesn’t matter what you’re doing, it does not matter who you thought you were. It’s about who you’re currently being in that moment. So there is a complete correlation I fell like we all need reminders of our greatness and just shit about life. I talk a lot about fears in the videos because we always go through fear whether it’s the fear that we’re never going to be great or the fear that one decision is going to go horribly wrong. I just want to remind people that you can rise from whatever ashes you are surrounded by.

JS: What is it you ultimately want to tell us through your camera?

PHX: I want to tell all different types of stories, I don’t have this one message or one thing, or maybe I do. I don’t know, I just want to tell stories. Whatever stories I see whether it be like the stories that my friends have, my own personal story, or story of the world. I think being a videographer or being any artist, your job is to reflect on the world around you. Whatever you’re going through, whatever the world is going through. That’s your job as an artist because that’s what we feel, everything we go through we have a feeling for it. But especially for videographers I feel like visuals are so important, I feel like visuals can literally make people see.

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DETAILS ‘97

AS TOLD BY FVDGENASTE INSTAGRAM.COM/ASTOLDBYFVDGE/

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ONE W: JAY ST IE V R E T UZ IN TORIA CR IC V : S O T PHO SALE NOT FOR

FVDGENASTE

FIRST, BEING BLACK IN AMERICA IS THE MOST UNDER APPRECIATED BLESSING IN THE WORLD. I AM TRULY PRIVILEGED TO BE LIVING A LIFE WHERE I IDENTIFY AS A PROUD BLACK PERSON.

DETAILS ‘97

SECOND, BEING A WOMAN IN AMERICA IS THE SECOND MOST UNDER APPRECIATED BLESSING IN THE WORLD. WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO WITHHOLD LIFE WITHIN US. THAT IS THE MOST BOSS SUPERPOWER IN THE WHOLE FUCKING WORLD

THE EXPERIENCE MAG

CREATIVE DIRECTORS : JAY STONE & FVDGE

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AS TOLD BY FVDGENASTE

JS: We’ve had tons of conversations in regards to the arts. Who & what inspires you artistically?

FVDGE: Everything. The very fact that my brain can process that I’m breathing inspires me. My biggest inspirations are my passions, and everything that I ever loved. Dance, music, film, The Human Anatomy (specifically the brain), Discovering my identity and what it means to be a Black Woman in America. Simply, anything that moves me, brings a rush to my head and gives me goosebumps.

JS: As a young black woman, what is the most important theme you aim to leave in your work? How do you cope current political & social climate you & countless other issues women face?

FVDGE: Wait I have a slogan for this. “Make Pop Art An Abstract Thought” I made this up years ago that was the main thing I wanted to accomplish in my work more like a mantra. It simply means to find love in the paradoxes of life, because everything is just that complex, everything is grey, and everything you’ve been told is a lie. I always found that heavy art critics thought Pop Art and Abstract work couldn’t exist together. And it gives me so much satisfaction to be able to make them work and live with each other. I love my artwork yo. I’m my biggest fan, Niggas don’t like my shit like I like my shit. You’ll never hear me say “Yeah, my shit wack.” Nope I cannot look at myself in that light. I am Midus, everything I touch I turn to gold and I’m not being cocky because I can care less if you see me the way I do. I’ve honestly developed such a healthy love for my spirit and soul and anything I produce is just a manifestation of that. So it’s always fire at least to me I think. I’ve learned from my perception, that we live in our brains, it’s our reality and I can essentially make it anything I want it to be, but this also allows me to know that my reality is unlike anyone else’s so it’s pretty easy to not get too attached to what others might think because you decide whether you let that affect you.

First, being Black in America is the most under appreciated blessing in the world. I am truly privileged to be living a life where I identify as a proud Black person. We built everything. I see my ancestors being represented in everything provided on this Earth. Being Black in america means you are forced to be connected to your roots and constantly be reminded of the people who gave their souls unwillingly to this country, a sacrifice we have to take in order to know true meaning in life. Struggle builds character, experiences of a lifetime. We are the inventors. When you don’t have, you have to think of creative

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THE EXPERIENCE MAG

ways to get the things that you need. I’m Black and I’m proud and I have purpose because of it.

Second, being a woman in America is the second most under appreciated blessing in the world. WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO WITHHOLD LIFE WITHIN US. That is the MOST boss superpower in the whole fucking world. But of course we live in the most backwards society, everything that’s good is bad, and everything that’s bad is good but when you add human perception everything becomes subjective in which that concept diminishes completely. Being a Black woman means you can defy all odds. I’ve seen my momma do it. It’s the most magnificent present, and every present comes with a sacrifice. You can’t get a rainbow without the rain. I feel like you have to know what it feels to be without to be grateful for the things within.

JS: You have an interesting way of putting two separate ideas into the same space to create abstract chaos. When I see your work, it’s a marriage of pop-art meets revolutionary thoughts. Look no further to how you interpreted vintage 90s cartoon characters. What are the creative concepts behind your art?

FVDGE: A lot of the time it’s whatever I find significant at the time. Most times something I just learned about at the time will drive my work. All of my art has something to say. Always. Something that deeply resonates with me. More specifically, things that define who I am. I’m always in search of finding all the pieces that make me feel the most whole. I also just really enjoy challenging ideas and thinking outside of the box. I like to be on the opposing team as an experiment to myself, I love experiencing true imagination and that’s why I paint with bright colors -- to get your attention and make you question everything like how you were when the world was new to you, and you were discovering it for the first time.

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DETAILS ‘97 DETAILS ‘97 DETAILS ‘97

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FVDGENASTE DETAILS ‘97

THE EXPERIENCE MAG

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INTERMISSION “THE STEREOTYPE THAT BLACK PEOPLE ARE EXCESSIVELY FOND OF WATERMELON, CAME INTO FULL FORCE AFTER THE ‘EMANCIPATION’ OF THE SLAVES. FREE BLACK MEN GREW, HARVESTED, AND SOLD WATERMELONS, AND IN DOING SO, WATERMELONS SOMEWHAT BECAME A SYMBOL OF FREEDOM BY IT BEING THE FIRST WAY A LOT OF EX-SLAVES MADE MONEY. SOUTHERN WHITES, THREATENED BY THE NEWFOUND ‘FREEDOM’ OF BLACK PEOPLE, RESPONDED BY MAKING THE FRUIT A SYMBOL OF CHILDISHNESS, AND UNWANTED PUBLIC PRESENCE. TO WHITES IT SEEMED AS IF THE FREE MEN WERE FLAUNTING THEIR FREEDOM, BY BEING SELF-SUFFICIENT, SELLING WATERMELONS AT THE MARKET, AND WORST OF ALL, EATING AND ENJOYING WATERMELON TOGETHER IN PUBLIC. THEY WERE SO UPSET, THAT FOR A WHILE, SOUTHERN WHITES REFUSED TO EAT THE FRUIT THAT ‘FREE NI**ERS ATE’. THE PRIMARY MESSAGE OF THE WATERMELON STEREOTYPE WAS THAT BLACK PEOPLE WEREN’T READY TO BE FREE.

BY THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY THE WATERMELON STEREOTYPE WAS EVERYWHERE- POTHOLDERS, SOAP DISHES, SALT & PEPPER SHAKERS, POST CARDS, ETC.. IT SEEMS IGNORANT TO ATTRIBUTE SO MUCH MEANING TO A FRUIT, AND TRUTHFULLY THERE IS NOTHING RACIST ABOUT WATERMELONS, BUT CULTURAL SYMBOLS HAVE THE POWER TO SHAPE THE WAY WE SEE OUR WORLD AND THE PEOPLE IN IT. THE SYMBOL OF THE WATERMELON HAS ROOTS IN THE OPPRESSOR’S FEAR OF THE EMANCIPATED BLACK MAN. THEY HAVE USED THIS SYMBOL TO DENIGRATE BLACK PEOPLE, TO TAKE SOMETHING THEY WERE USING TO FURTHER THEIR OWN FREEDOM, AND MAKE IT THE OBJECT OF RIDICULE AND RACIST JOKES (EVEN THOUGH THEY THOROUGHLY ENJOY IT) AND NOW THE STEREOTYPE OF BLACK PEOPLE AND WATERMELONS HAS A LIFE OF ITS OWN. SO THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE AN OLD MAN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, SELLING WATERMELONS OUT OF THE BACK OF HIS TRUCK, YOU SHOULD STOP AND SPEND THAT $5-$8 WITH THE MAN. NOT ONLY WILL YOU BE EATING FRESH ORGANIC FRUIT, YOU WILL BE CONTRIBUTING TO ONE OF, IF NOT THE FIRST, WAYS OUR ANCESTORS MADE MONEY FOR THEMSELVES, AND THAT’S WHY THEY ‘CLAIM’ TO HATE THE COMBINATION OF BLACK PEOPLE AND WATERMELONS.”

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DETAILS ‘97 DETAILS ‘97

AS TOLD BY FVDGENASTE

JS: You possess something intangible that a lot of people don’t have. In an era where everyone wants to prove how dope, spiritually inclined, how much more “woke” they are than others, you thrive on effortlessly being you. What are your thoughts on the social media culture within this industry?

FVDGE: I feel like my generation thrives off constant social acceptance and confirmation. That’s social media. Its makes you release dopamine every time someone hits like on your photo which I think is the lowest form of appreciation but has the effect of boosting our self esteem. This is how FB tricks you into sharing more and more info about yourself to document your constant activity. Which is crazy we put ourselves on a platform to be watched constantly by others. Fucking creepy. But I do it. I can’t be mad if someone finds some shit on me. I fell into the trap all because everyone else is doing it.

Even rebels conform and that’s the beauty of life. That’s the duality of the matrix. So to answer your questions, social media has its pros and its cons.

Just like everything else. Ain’t no more to say about it.

JS: You just went from FVDGE to FvdgeNASTE. What’s your five year plan looking like?

FVDGE: I can’t tell you my plans cause I move in silence like the g in lasagna even though I prefer to mispronounce it with the ‘g’ I literally say “ Damn, I want some lasa-G-na.” Nah but I protect my path by being making moves behind the scenes. Or tell my close homies like you who I can know can help further my vision or make me believe in my idea a bit more , sometimes I need that extra push and the soul has a way of granting me exactly what I need at exactly the time I need it. So why tell people how to stop you, when they don’t even know you movin. There’s also no desire and attachment when you aren’t set on a specific outcome. Life is just easier to handle that way for me.

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FVDGENASTE “1997”

EVERYBODY KNOWS I’M A MUF**KIN MONSTER

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All I’m Doing Is Taking Power And Bringing It Back To The Hood

JAZO BROOKLYN

INSTAGRAM.COM/JAZOBROOKLYN/

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PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEX JOSEPH PHOTOGRAPHYALEX.COM INTERVIEW: JAY STONE

JS: Tell us about your daily routine.

JAZ: Hmm my daily routine.... I can honestly say that a lot of days start off rough.

I’ve been learning more about myself the older I get and through therapy. I have anxiety so waking up is pretty weird sometimes. My heart races a lot. So a lot of the times I tend to wake up & take a warm shower with lemon scrub. For some reason the smell is therapeutic to me, and breathe it in and release tension.

Then I open my computer and begin to conquer the world like the Unicorn that I am. And what I mean by conquer the world, I mean run the community projects that make me feel alive. And being a better mother day by day to my 17 year old son.

JS: How did you find your way into the Silent Barn space in Bushwick and how did taking back the community became your objective?

JAZ: I’d say Silent Barn found me. I was talking at an event about the monster movement. This was back in 2013 and how now, that the hood is changing the youth have less and less to do because a lot of the after school programs they were going to were closing down due to the influx in rent, GENTRIFICATION/ DISPLACEMENT, or white people were complaining about our aesthetics. You know the shit we all grew up doing in NYC. Manhunt, Freeze Tag, Football, Self made Basketketball hoops etc, One day I got a call saying that the white people in the new condos on my block called the cops and that the reason was, they ‘didn’t pay this much money to hear kids play. ‘ I fucking snapped. And remember saying this is our community, feeling really angry and wanting to do some wild shit. But from that stemmed the monster movement and me pressing white run spaces to be inclusive when coming into black and brown communities. If we can’t rock with ya and run shit and use them resources ya holding then ya shouldn’t be here, And ya should be aired out.

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JS: What is Color Scenes for those who may not know?

JAZ: Color Scenes is literally what it sounds like. A dope ass scene ran by people of color. As this super white washed or cheesy art scene forces its way into our communities and changes the cultural relevance, I’ve seen 1st hand what it does to our hoods, and it displaces us. I started seeing how many white artists who aren’t from here had the privilege to just pull up in our communities, paint our whole hoods, and turn our shit into a full tourist zone. Which increases this rent market in black and brown communities. Meanwhile artists that are from here were rarely getting the visibility they deserved. Color scenes literally gives back resources to black and brown native artist. We use a lot of our proceeds to buy spray paint and stay stacked on supplies and resources to bless our people.

“When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives.” SURVIVAL IS A MAJOR KEY...

JS: You are fully aware of who you are and your identity. Where does that fierce self-awareness come from and how do you apply that today?

JAZ: You know it’s crazy because the strongest people are really the weakest. And I guess part of me really owning what you claim to see in me is just learning to be real to myself, opposed to trying to be real to the world. It’s like learning to take that same projection of what I was trying to convince others to think about me, and tilting that projection on to myself to the point where I couldn’t escape who I REALLY WAS. And it’s scary, so most of the times i’m not fully aware of who I am, I’m just flowing with myself. I’m allowing myself to be what it wants itself to be. And learning not to fight that. That’s where I feel I’m the most aware.

It’s a continuous cycle of shedding. And i’m becoming a more developed butterfly. It’s a painful process because it’s starts with self.

SO I guess THAT FIERCE SELF-AWARENESS your talking about comes from not what people think they should see of me, but being real to myself enough to show that I AM not perfect, that I DO NOT have it all together, that I TOO wake up fucked up sometimes, ANXIETY like a mother fucker. I deserve as a woman of color to be able to release my true self. And heal and show other woman that they are not alone. That my identity doesn’t just start with me, it’s inside all of us.

And when we are honest not only about our accomplishments but also our struggles we touch so many more people than we could have ever imagined. And through that we can heal together, even if that looks different for different people.

JS: What is the Educated Little Monsters program?

JAZ: Educated Little Monsters is everything you will read in my interview. It’s the root of everything I do. A safe space for youth of color to create, learn and become socially aware of the changes hitting their communities and expressing how it makes them feel through music and art. We are a full performing and visual arts program. Offering programming in Hip Hop, Dance, Live Music, Theater, Art, Engineering and Media. It’s all donation based so kids will never get turned away due to lack of funds. It takes a village to raise a child as it takes a child to raise a village.

JS: How do you envision your legacy in Brooklyn?

JAZ: Like literally this quote right here. I bumped into in on the internet recently….

“When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives.”

I read this and literally caught chills, because this is what I want for my son and my movement. Nothing fucking more or nothing less.

Which is why I’ll work to I die. Making sure that from my generation and on my bloodline builds an empire that will feed my future grandkids and instill the mission and vision into them so they too can take care of their communities and build little wolf packs of their own. Survival is a major KEY...

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I n s t i t u t i o n s

n

ion

s res Opp

Marginalization

Exp loi tat io

Powerlessness

Viol ence

TO the progeny of oppression -- BASHy BROOKLYNS

Cultural Imperialism

Oppression -the state of being subject to unjust treatment or control. According to Iris Marion Young, there are five “faces” or types of oppression: violence, exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, and cultural imperialism.

Exploitation - the action or fact of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work.

Marginalization - the act of relegating or confining a group of people to a lower social standing or outer limit or edge of society.

Powerlessness - lack of ability, influence, or power Cultural Imperialism - involves taking the culture of the ruling class and establishing it as the norm.

Violence – the use pf intense, turbulent, or furious and often destructive action or force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy Institutions

- social arrangements and practices through which collective actions are taken.

Examples of institutions include the legal, educational, health care, social service, government, media and criminal justice systems.

Institutional Oppression - is the systematic mistreatment of people within a social identity group, supported and enforced by the society and its institutions, solely based on the person’s membership in the social identity group.

Social Identity Groups – Race, Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, Religion/Spiritual Affiliation, Socioeconomic Class, Age, Gender, Sex, National Origin, Physical/Phycological/Mental/Learning Ability To the progeny of oppression, The bearers of the burdens societies, There’s an uneven distribution of debt, carried by the 99% in its entirety To the individual parts of a collective whole, fused together by the forces the repress them, To the wearers of layered cloaks of their oppression, boxed labeled and tossed aside in succession, The victims of the false realities of ISMs, anti-gravitational forces Invisible bosses, that predetermine our decisions The art of this sinister system is to Divide and conquer, and create false figments of identity, So that well for ever be refracted pieces of humanity, Because a world without controlled division is not profitable, Peace, love and unity are not marketable, And you can’t control people with fear, If they contain the knowledge of themselves, the land, and of their collective force, The power of their mind, and intimate connection to the source, This moment in time is our greatest opportunity, The greatest asset to humanity, is our Unity A lesson, to the progeny of oppression, We must break free from the prisons of miseducation, We got to realize that our brains are the original computers, What we call history is simply subjective, Those who write the history that in thought in classes Create the formulas that control the masses, When we consume the suggested media, the basis of our social criteria, we see so called “minorities” minimalized to menial roles, Reflections of ourselves only portrayed in negative lights, as stereotypes, Or not portrayed at all, our greatness stored in the abyss of history untold, We must realize that the spewing of ignorance is a manifestation of what’s festering inside Institutional education was the largest genocide

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To the progeny of oppression, Children of the “African Diaspora”, Descendants of Colonialism in the Americas, The lost tribes of Ebony, So Called “Latinos”, “Creoles”, “West Indians”, and “African Americans” We are a collective body, Africa is our heart and soul, The percussion instrument that supplies our rhythm, The constant in our multi-continental algorithm, The essence of our godly excrescence, The womb from which we inherit our Excellence We speak Spanish, English, French, Portuguese and various dialects, We have kinky, curly, straight hair, and a million ways to style it Our color variations range from paper pale to the darkest of nights, We dance meringue, salsa, Moribayasa, bachata, Milly Rock on any block, finger pop, and toe hop, We span four continents, with vibrant disposition, And our collective histories, and identities have placed us in a most interesting position Our ancestors in the Americas, were ripped from the shores of the African continent, Stripped from their noble legacy, land, linage, and history Systematically thought that we were “Negritos” “Niggers” and nothing more, In reality, for hundreds of years, the Europeans referred to as Moor [Moors] (Moreno, derivative of Moor) We learned their culture, religion and developed cognitive dissonance, We were taught to love them more than we love ourselves, Taught that our legacies were their histories, and our histories were shrouded in mysteries There are some differences in the oppressors’ methods of oppression, In Latin America & Caribbean, African culture flourished through it descendants, Descendant managed to practice African spirituality; ironically hidden beneath Christianity, In the U.S., Africans were stripped of their identity almost to entirety, All remanences of African Culture strictly outlawed with violence, Crumb left for the descendants to eat, Little clues left for the descendants to reap, Pieces of the African Spirit did these descendants keep, Through the descendants, African Culture flourished in Latin America & Caribbean, Hispanic and Caribbean culture are little without African Influence, In the U.S. descendants were fed encapsulated mental genocide,

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, The essence of the African Spirit still managed to arise, Descendants used left-overs, scraps and shards, as mechanism to spawn unique identity Creating new forms of music, dance, food and culture that would on day influence the World What is a uniquely American Food? Soul Food. What is a uniquely American form of Music? Hip-Hop, Jazz the Blues, Rock & Roll. All spawned out of the Afro-American Conscious.

American Culture, North, South, Central, and Caribbean, is lacking without the contributions of African American Descendants Dear African Diaspora, We are married to each other, SOUL Mates, joined together by our collective identities & histories, We are the Phoenix that rose from the ashes of Oppression, We are the survivors, of the largest mental genocide, Our primary differences arise from the cultures, and methods of Colonialism derived from Our Oppressors (language, Racial admixture, social identities, culture)

So-called “Blacks” and “Latinos”, share similar ancestry, outside of our African Heritage In our blood are various European groups and those Indigenous to the Americas Descendants of the Oppressed and the Oppressors, In in the context of the United States were all considered the lesser, En El Barrios del Estados Unidos, We gettin’ shot on the block, We are disproportionately the victims Institutionalized and Systematic Oppression We make up the bunk of brothas’ and sistas’ in the penitentiaries To the White establishment were a colorful group of dispensable commodities, On the bright side, we are an example of the resilience of people undergoing oppression & struggle, We say to the world, Despite, being downtrodden, humbled, and derogated to the extreme, the Human Spirit can flourish and overcome, “by any means necessary” The Unity of the African-Diaspora shall not be thwarted by cultural differences, Celebrate the Collective Beauty of our People Our History and Ancestry bind us together, Our diversity, adds vibrancy to our People, Our Unity helps to raise the Consciousness of the Oppressed, Ripping away the layers of self-hated, freeing our minds from the poison of the attempted genocide of our Consciousness When we fully embrace ourselves, we become a powerful mechanism in dismantling the chains of our Oppression Ashe, Peace, Love and Unity to the African-Diaspora!

Viva la Diaspora!

May we honor our Ancestors with our Unification!

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ARTSY WINDOW X THE EXPERIENCEMAG

MELANIA-LUISA MARTE 50

FEMINIST MAMI

BY KIARA VENTURA

PHOTOS: BRANDON LAWAYNE

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SPOKEN WORD ARTIST, MELANIA-LUISA MARTE IS ALSO KNOWN AS FEMINIST MAMI. BORN IN THE BRONX AND RAISED IN THE LOWER EAST SIDE, MARTE IS A DOMINICAN WOMAN WHO PRIDES HERSELF AS AN AFRO-LATINA AND INTERSECTIONAL FEMINIST. 24-YEAR-OLD MARTE IS CURRENTLY RESIDING IN TEXAS WHERE SHE IS A TEACHING ARTIST AND YOGA INSTRUCTOR FOR YOUNG STUDENTS. IN HER POETRY, FEMINIST MAMI SPEAKS ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE AS A AFRO-LATINA, SELF-CARE, SELF-LOVE, UPLIFTING OTHER FEMALES IN HER COMMUNITY, AND OF COURSE INTERSECTIONAL FEMINISM. SO FAR, SHE HAS REPRESENTED DALLAS FOR THE 2017 WOMEN OF THE WORLD POETRY COMPETITION, MADE SEMI-FINALS AS A MEMBER OF THE DALLAS POETRY SLAM TEAM THIS SUMMER, AND MADE FINAL STAGE AT TEXAS GRAM SLAM POETRY COMPETITION. HER SPOKEN WORD VIDEOS THROUGH “WRITE ABOUT NOW” HAVE OVER 160,000 VIEWS AND OVER 8,000 SHARES ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

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KV: Growing up, what are the things you struggled with that inspired you to become a feminist?

FM: For most of my years in high school, I had my head in a books and was very anti-social. In reading about how these feminist women empowered themselves and what they had to go through in their struggles through just coming into their own skin, I was motivated to start writing. For example, I would read ‘I’m an Emotional Creature’ by Eve Ensler. So reading books like that made me understand that yes we can be emotional creatures and strong at the same time. So I realized that my voice matters and that is how I can free myself. So that’s how I really got vocal about my poetry.

KV: When did you start performing your spoken word poetry?

FM: I was always very self-conscious about my poetry but then the first time I got on stage in college, people loved it. After performances, women and girls would come to me feeling empowered and that’s when I realized that I had a purpose to empower women and make sure other women aren’t silencing themselves.

As people of color, we’ve been silenced for so many years and I thought about what it’s like for women. Then I realized women of color have only been able to speak for less than 100 years. So I wrote this poem and said this line that goes like, ‘Maybe I should drop this penetrating gaze. Melt this chip off my shoulder. Pretend that men don’t have a history of ruining worlds. Pretend they haven’t been accustomed to silencing us. Pretend that there isn’t tradition to the way my voice sinks in his presence like I have learned 60 years of freedom does not make up for all that has died inside of me.’

Women from generations before me have felt silenced and were not allowed to speak and if they spoke their lives were at stake. So

“Women from generations before me have felt silenced and were not allowed to speak and if they spoke their lives were at stake. So when you realize where we come from...you realize your voice is so important because you set the standards for future generations. It is setting the standard for how young girls feel about themselves and their voice...They can talk about their traumas and insecurities and feel like they are being heard. So Feminist Mami is that and Feminist Mami is my way of being super outspoken and not sugar coating anything.” when you realize where we come from...you realize your voice is so important because you set the standards for future generations. It is setting the standard for how young girls feel about themselves and their voice...They can talk about their traumas and insecurities and feel like they are being heard. So Feminist Mami is that and Feminist Mami is my way of being super outspoken and not sugar coating anything.

KV: Why is intersectional feminism a main subject in your work?

FM: I like to talk about feminism a lot because I feel like there are a lot of misconceptions in the feminist movement. I have conversations with a lot of women of color about how they might not consider themselves feminists and they feel like feminism is very isolating for them. Then I say, ‘No boo boo, you just have to reclaim feminism.’ Feminism isn’t just for the white woman. And for most of it’s inception, feminism wasn’t for white women. In

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fact, black women have a lot to do with the feminist movement .

For the most part the faces of feminism were very white for a long time but that did not mean that women of color weren’t there fighting for feminism. It just meant that that’s what the face looked like. We have Toni Morrison, Bell Hooks, Audre Lorde...these are all black women that fought so hard for feminism and so that’s where intersectional feminism comes in. I think it is very important for women to educate themselves on intersectionality and to understanding how all of us together make up a great powerful movement that is intersectional feminism. So I am definitely an intersectional feminist.

KV: Growing up as an Afro-Latina in a Dominican household can be so complex especially since many Dominicans don’t acknowledge their blackness. Can you tell me a bit about your personal experience?

FM: When you are a first generation Dominican-American, your parents are focused on keeping their culture and embracing their heritage that they’ve already grown up with.

So there becomes a disconnect from home and school because your house is so Dominican and Afro-Caribbean. But then when you are outside home and you are in school, you are with so many different races and cultures.

I also grew up on Univision and Telemundo, but I also grew up on BET, MTV and Disney Channel. I didn’t feel represented on any of these channels. I used to ask, ‘Where are the people that look like me?’ Looking at BET, I would see African- Americans and think ‘they kind of look like me but they don’t understand my culture.’ Same for MTV and Disney Channel. For Disney Channel, I would ask, ‘Well, where are all the black people...all the multi-cultural people? Where are the Afro-Caribbean people? Where are the people that speak Spanish but also look brown?’ So that became me self-exploring and asking, ‘What am I?’ Then I would ask my parents and they would just say, ‘What do you mean? You’re Dominican but you were born here because we wanted to give you the American Dream.’

So the conversation becomes less about color and more about cultural significance.

We are still grasping with the that fact that

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in America, white people still look at us and think ‘Oh that’s just a black person.’ Growing up, I slowly understood that I can be black, be Dominican, speak Spanish and be American...just connecting that being a child of the diaspora means that I’m a lot of things. It is a very complicated identity.

KV: Since we are talking about identity and having layers to one’s identity, I have to ask you about your “mango” poem. Can you explain “The Mango Poem” and what it is about?

FM: Last year I went to Dominican Republic to visit my grandparents. While I was there my grandmother’s mango tree was overflowing with mangoes. And I was like “I’m taking some of these mangoes back with me.” I had the mangoes in my luggage. I get on my plane and I’m going through customs in Miami because I had a connecting flight. And they confiscated my mangoes! I was really upset!

But the interesting part is that they left my bottle of liquor in my luggage. And I was like, “Take the liquor, I want the mangoes!” They told me, “We can’t have you keep these mangoes because it could affect the plants here in the US.” Some bullshit excuse. Then I was like “Okay that’s fine. I guess.” But then the guy at customs made a comment and said, “I left you the bottle of liquor” then winked at me. Then he said, “Wow you’re so pretty...so pretty for a black girl.”

So that poem was inspired by the irony of “being pretty for a black girl.” There is a line in the poem that goes, “How startling for me to be pretty in two different languages... assimilated to these constructs of beauty and still be seen as collateral damage...me a market fresh produce waiting to be spritzed and labeled...Both fruit and foreign. Both black and woman. Both black and foreign. How the prickling of my skin fumigates the slander pulpifying my pride back into its fruit.”

So I am comparing myself to a mango because most mangoes are imported into the US. I’m comparing the experience of Afro-Latinidad to being an imported mango.

You are this mango that people are interested in and they would be like, “Ooo it’s so exotic! It’s so pretty. It’s so different.” But when it

comes to complimenting you, it’s not a compliment when they call you “exotic.” No, you are being fetishized. You are being put on this pedestal because you are a product of slavery and colonization. We try to find beauty in that and sometimes it can be celebrated.

But we need to celebrate ourselves on our own terms. We need to celebrate ourselves as a people, as resilient people...not as these products that are put on a shelf and they can take us out when they want to whenever they need to tokenize us.

KV: What are your goals for the future?

FM: I plan to publish my poetry book and keep motivating more women of color to keep telling their stories. I want to show that it is important to represent yourself and other women who look like you. I want to advocate for women who do not have a voice. It’s 2017 and some women still do not have the right to drive or do want they want to their bodies.

Many artists don’t want to get into politics but we are politics. Politics is about the human experience. Everything is politics. Politics is the thing that helps us live a good life. So to everyone saying they don’t want to get into politics or they don’t know about politics, you just need to get a little more educated on how the system works. But you know everything you need to know about politics: you know that you feel underrepresented, that your president doesn’t give a shit about you…you need to real upset about it and like Maxine Waters said...you need to get controversial!

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JULY QUIN THE MOON GOD GOSPEL 56

INTERVIEW: JAY STONE PHOTOGRAPHY: PHOENIXX FLIX

“GOD DAMN DO I LOVE TO RUN AWAY. I BE RUNNING CAUSE I DON’T WANT ANYONE TO SEE THE WORST OF ME OR I DON’T WANT TO FEEL MISUNDERSTOOD. LIKE I’M NOTHING. LIKE THE MISTAKES I MAKE ARE FOREVER AND NOW IT’S WRITTEN IN MY CHARACTER TO BE MY FLAWS UNTIL I DIE. I OVER EXAGGERATE THAT IDEA CAUSE OF FEAR. AND I NATURALLY REVERT CAUSE IT FEELS LIKE THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING AND JUDGING ME. I’M A PRIVATE PERSON SO I THINK IT MAKES SENSE THAT ANYTIME I’D PUT MYSELF OUT THERE AND FALL ON MY FACE I WOULD DRAW BACK. BUT I AM TRYING. LIKE REALLY TRYING. TRYING TO ADMIT WHEN I’M WRONG AND NOT FEEL GUILT OR SHIT EVEN WHEN I KNOW I’M RIGHT AND NOT FEEL IT THEN EITHER. TO MAINTAIN MY COOL ENOUGH TO TREAT EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE WITH LOVE AND AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING DESPITE BEING LOST OR HEATED FOR WHATEVER REASON. I THINK IT BOTHERS ME THAT I CAN’T SOLVE EVERYTHING. SOMETIMES I DON’T HAVE THE ANSWERS. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU’RE NOT ALWAYS GONNA BE ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD. AND THERE WILL BE TIMES WHERE YOU’RE NOT BEING UNDERSTOOD OR UNDERSTANDING. IT MIGHT HURT... I GUESS WHAT I’M TRYING TO SAY IS - AMONGST ALL THE RUNNING YOU DO (IF YOU’RE LIKE ME/WHATEVER THAT MEANS TO YOU) AS LONG AS YOU GET BACK ON TRACK, REMEMBER TO WATER OTHER PARTS OF YOUR LIFE, USE FORGIVENESS, LOVE, CENTER YOURSELF AND TAKE A BREATHER, STEP OUT OF YOURSELF EVERY NOW AND THEN, YOU’LL BE ALRIGHT. CAUSE NOTHING’S FOREVER AND YOU CAN’T TAKE THIS WITH YOU WHEN YOU’RE GONE. SO FALL, FALL FUCKING HARD. THEN GET BACK UP, REALIZE YOUR STRONG FOR DOING THAT SHIT AND MOVE FORWARD”

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JS: I want to say, your album bares one of the best titles I’ve ever heard, “Dying is Expensive.” Outside of the fact that’s a very true statement for those loved ones of ours who have to deal with all the costs deaths brings after one passes… What does this statement mean to you?

JQ:It means withering yourself away is one of the most destructive things you can do. The times when you’ve locked yourself in your room cut off from the world. That’s dying. And it’s expensive because it costs you your health, your sanity; you miss out on your life and the experiences that come with it. Being alone in that frame of mind also doesn’t help you make the best decisions either. A lot of my young adult life has felt and still feels that way. I’m 23 on the verge of 24 and depression is a war I’m still fighting. Honestly I don’t always feel I have control. So the statement “Dying is Expensive” outside of being simply true also serves as a reminder for not only myself but anyone else who may need one. Do your best to not self-sabotage.

NO TIME TO LOSE NO TIME TO LOSE NO TIME TO LOSE NO TIME TO LOSE NO TIME TO LOSE NO TIME TO LOSE NO TIME TO LOSE

JS: What came first? Producing or writing?

Which one do you love the most and why?

JQ: Producing is always first. I find it difficult to write if I don’t have a sound guiding me. I don’t always have the words to express how I’m feeling in a moment. Instrumentation does though; in its own special way because music is always speaking to you even if you’re not speaking back. That’s why producers are important. With the right one by your side you can end up unlocking truth in yourself you didn’t even know JS: You have a line on the track “Pendulum was there. I live for that shit. Writing is obviSwing” where you mention how your mom ously a beautiful process as well. It helps me had an endless grind & your sister always kept make sense of my feelings no matter the feeling. you fresh. How did growing up in the Bronx Writing is a little more of a selfish thing for me help shape you as a person and your eventual in comparison. But making someone move or artistry? receive chills from chords you play or melodies JQ: You know, I’m not completely sure. I think and sounds you create excites me. simply because my sister has lived on Grand Concourse since I was born has a say in who I am as a person. Most of the stuff I do remember from my childhood involves my nieces and nephews. And I think with that comes a lot of the culture I took into my adult life. My mom tried to keep me guarded from the outside because she didn’t want me on the block. So time with my sister and her kids was the only time I got to experience the Bronx. When I started high school though I made friends with another kid named Randy who had a brother that made music. They both lived right next door to me and I had no clue. His brother Regis had a home studio and put me on game to the setup he managed. Our friendship had helped me a lot in figuring out who I am artistically. Mostly cause he’s been able to help me nurture my ideas.

We’ll try anything if it means potentially benefitting the record. We learn from each other. So shout out to the Bronx for being the place where we met!

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JS: Tell us about the album “Dying is Expensive.” What was the inspiration behind this project?

JQ: My mom got sick about a year before the album dropped and ended up in the hospital.

When she came out the hospital she received a bill and it kind of blew my mind how much it was. Not too long before that a friend of mine was helping making funeral arrangements for someone close to her. They ended up making a GoFundMe for the rest of the expenses which was a lot. Do you know how much caskets cost!? It’s crazy. I was walking home one day after all this had passed and it just registered in my mind... “yo dying is expensive.” I took a huge gasp when I realized that it was the perfect title for my next project because I wanted to make something that spoke on and celebrated overcoming adversity. What a better way to flip it? Dying is Expensive doesn’t have to be a scary statement.

It can be a reminder to get up, treat yourself good and not waste time.

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JS: Sonically your production is very avant garde. I feel as if you’re on your way to really making a big name for yourself, just off that alone. Who are some of your influences?

JQ: I LOVE Nujabes! I have to start with him because whenever anyone asks me this I tend to forget. Nujabes has had such a huge impact on me discovering my sound. If you don’t know who he is look him up and change your life! I’ve been listening to a bunch of Jon Bellion recently. Words can’t describe how amazing he is. 40, Pharrell, Ludwig x Childish Gambino, Tyler the Creator, Kanye, Dilla, Toro Y Moi. There are a lot of guys I’m into who I’ve found recently thanks to SoundCloud too. Like montell2099, SangoBeats, Freddie Joachim and MNDSGN to name a few. I could go on forever. I’m going to throw Yoko Shimomura in there too cause one day I want to score an anime/video game and she is goals. She composed the music to Kingdom Hearts and now you know I’m a geek.

JS: What is it that July would love to leave behind?

That’s such a hard question. I mean I hope that I’ve would have done something that made at least one person feel happy. Or perhaps given someone inspiration. I don’t believe the word impossible is a thing. I think literally everything around you was once said to be an impossible idea. Then it became a reality by someone’s hands. Everything we make is a time capsule. It expresses a specific period in our lives when the rest of the world was happening. So I guess I want to encourage people to create stuff while they can and watch how their stars align.

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WATCH THAT BLACK GIRL

JANEL YOUNG

CREATIVE DIRECTORS: JAY STONE & FVDGENASTE

PHOTOGRAPHY: VICTORIA CRUZ & JULY QUIN STYLED BY: FAIRY & FVDGENASTE

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FLY

“Who your leader and where y’all going? My army big enough carry a boeing’ Ride off to the Lox Hair braided, twisted, wind blowin’ thru my knots Mama got soulfood cooking in the pots You in a grave situation you should look into a plot Dirt on my name, boy I’m way too smart”

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JS: WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO BE AN ARTIST AND WHAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED? JY: Art is my gift. I’ve been an artist for as long as I can remember. There was no motivation needed to simply be myself. However, I was fortunate enough to have adults in my corner at a young age who acknowledged my potential and pushed me to continue practicing my craft very early. These were teachers, counselors, and my parents who provided their time and resources to make sure I recognized my gift as an artist, and who are still supporting me today.

A few things help me stay motivated: my everyday experiences that require creative expression, and the tremendous amount of love from my supporters. There is no better motivation to keep doing what you do as an artist than seeing people react to your work. I would also add that the creative scene (especially for people of color) in New York City is a motivator because the community is packed with all kinds of artists of different practices doing amazing things.

Surrounding myself with those kinds of people constantly demands me to keep improving.

JS: AS A BLACK WOMAN, WHAT PARTICULAR CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED ONCE YOU RECOGNIZED YOUR DESIRE TO DO ART? JY: A few challenges I’ve faced stem from having limited role models in the art industry who look like I do. Not only are big-name black women artists recognized less on the grand scale, but there are also less minorities who have the industry knowledge, resources and funds to share with up-and-coming artists. For people like me, that means a lot more work and research to figure things out along the journey. I’m embracing the process as it comes.

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JS: SO, WHY THE INTEREST IN ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST ART? HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT AND WHAT IS IT ABOUT THAT FORM OF ART YOU LOVE SO MUCH? JY: Freedom. There is a special freeing aspect of abstract art that is very fulfilling for me. When I first started formal training in art in junior high school there was a lot of emphasis on realism, which I appreciated learning at the time. However, I often felt a lot of pressure sketching and painting in that style. Once I got the chance to paint more freely, I had a better workflow, I felt more creative, and my ideas were depicted more accurately. I love abstract expressionist art because it gives me an opportunity to document exactly how I feel at a certain point in time, or create a fantasy environment with my work.

JS: WHAT MESSAGES WERE YOU TRYING TO CONVEY WHEN YOU CONCEPTUALIZED THE BLACK GIRL MAGIC PIECES? AND WHY IS IT ILLUSTRATED IN A MORE REALISTIC STYLE AS OPPOSED TO THE ABSTRACT STYLE YOU FAVOR? JY: I created the Black Girl Magic series out of self love. I had just gone natural myself when I started conceptualizing the series, and the goal was for girls and women to be able to identify with at least one of the portraits. I wanted to convey that being a Black girl can mean so many different things: we are multidimensional, we are unique, we are versatile, and we can be whatever we want. With limited versions of us in the media and elsewhere, we don’t see, hear or believe that enough! I also felt need for me to shed light on underrepresented characteristics in a subtle way - from dark skin tones, to locs, an interest in (Afro) punk rock, and acknowledging Black Latinas.

The realist style here worked because it was minimal and simplistic. The half-face imagery puts focus on what’s important - the hair. It took the pressure off myself to do full portraits. This style felt like the best way to depict the message and give people something to directly relate to. I wanted girls and women to see the pieces, point to one and say, “Hey, that one is me!” and so far, that’s been the reaction.

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BLACK GIRL MAGIC

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PERCEPTION

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JS: HOW DO THOSE PIECES MIRROR YOUR OWN PERCEPTION OR METAMORPHOSES’ OF YOUR OWN HAIR AT THIS PRESENT TIME? JY: There are currently six pieces in the Black Girl Magic series, and I’ve personally had all but one of the hairstyles portrayed -the high top!. They mirror my perception that Black girls are magical, beautiful, enduring. Together, these pieces are a reminder of versatility when it comes to the Black woman’s hair. I’m very content with my personal natural hair journey and I hope it inspires confidence for other women in the same way. Ideally, I want to continue expanding the series to include more natural styles and additional representations of women.

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“A strong spirit transcends rules.�

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-Prince.

CARLITA LOPEZ MAMA LUNA

INTERVIEW: JAY STONE PHOTOGRAPHY: JULY QUIN 73

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JS: I’ve consider your visuals to be in the realms of great artist, Hype Williams & Lorna Simpson. How would you describe your photography work?

CL: Colors, textures, music, and visuals have always been very attractive to me. As a kid, I would love to watch Hype Williams’ videos and always say to myself “I hope to one day be part of a process like this.” From Belly, to Aaliyah’s “Rock the Boat”, to Nas and Diddy’s “Hate me now”, he planted many seeds in my head for what I’d want to do if I ever were to create. I consider my photography as an experience of what goes on through my mind,and influences of my upbringing and my surroundings. Many of my photos are named after songs that have played a big part in my life, and I make the connection to the way I felt when I first took the photo.

Music has been the soundtrack to my personal life and my creative life as well, and as I go through transitions in my life the music I listen to inspires me to create even more.

Lorna Simpson’s manipulation of photos and pops of color really resonate with me, because I want to create an alternate reality to my photos and add more depth to my images. A lot of my photos are shot intuitively, and are mostly spur of the moment, caught in movement, and genuine.

JS: You’re very proud of your Latin heritage & where you’re from, the Bronx. Tell us about how that has trickled down into your artistry.

CL: I am a first generation Dominican-American, and that always has played a big part in my identity. My parents made sure that I always stayed in-tune to where I came from.

From the music I heard in my home, to speaking spanglish with Mami, to witnessing my father work his way in the community of Washington Heights which became my second home of sorts, supporting different candidates for community office, I was always surrounded by my heritage. I have always been infatuated with the traditional dress that is worn for carnivals all over the Dominican Republic specifically the ones from my family’s hometown Santiago. I want to be able to bring everyone nostalgia with reminders of things that they saw growing up, like your local bodega, or Country Club soda. Being an Latina woman from Uptown, I want to be able to inspire other women like me to live out

their dreams, and have pride in their culture.

Growing up in the Bronx, NY which is such a melting pot, it helped me be more open minded and more curious of other cultures and their customs. Being appreciative of tradition has brought a lot of inspiration to me, and my always-growing curiosity to learn more about traditions that spans generations is shown in my work.

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what I want my legacy to be is one of a latina woman, proud of where she came from, always in progression to inspire as many people as she could, struggling with anxiety and living through many situations and still remaining strong and focused on her dream.

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JS: The ways, in which you visually play with your own photography, extends your range as an artist. Your body of work is deep. I think you’re pretty slept on to be honest. My favorite is “Light Play.” A close 2nd is your Bodega set, which is so New York. Which one is your personal favorite?

JS: Visual and abstraction-ism is something that always caught my eye, from seeing Dali, Picasso, and Andy Warhol bend the rules of what fine art is supposed to be, it inspired me to put my own twist into my photography.

A lot of what I photograph resonates deeply with me, and really displays what goes on through my mind. Light play started off as a “mistake” of sorts, and I discovered what I could do with long exposure. I have always had an immense fear of being colorblind and not being able to see, and light play was a sort of appreciation for the blessing of being able to show the world what I see through light.

That series was very interesting to me because I found myself stopping at many random places that had neon lights, shooting photos

of disco balls during a party, playing with glow sticks, let’s just say I was obsessed.

The “Bodega Dreams” series began during a walk in the Bronx, when I saw one of the old-school bodegas, and I remember feeling this warmness in my heart and nostalgia that comes with seeing them. I remember thinking of how much hard work was put into making that establishment, a lot them which were owned by immigrants looking to create a new life for them and their family in an unknown territory. Hearing stories from my elders, their struggle to learn a new language, get accustomed to the hustle and bustle of this foreign place, and ultimately making it their home, garnered and still garners so much respect from me. The bodega has been a neighborhood staple for many families, and I want to continue to honor that by preserving images of these establishments before they’re all gone. My personal favorite is the bodega series, because it really hits home for me with the changes going on in our communities.

JS: What is your dream project?

CL: Hmm...this is a hard one.

My dream project would be with Prince, being that I am inspired by him everyday even after his passing. His use of colors, his sexual ambiguity, and hidden messages in many of his lyrics always keep me interested and inspired. Now as for a living artist, it would be Kelis. When I was growing up, I loved watching videos of her with the Neptunes, and seeing her bring her style to the forefront of fashion, and she was one of the first women I saw embracing her natural hair, and just straight up killing it no matter what people thought of her. She is an Uptown girl just like me, and she really broke a lot of fashion rules.

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CARLITA LOPEZ MAMA LUNA

JS: I love that identity, culture and the street plays such a vital role in your art. I think its important that these things are captured & preserved in an ever changing whitewashing of everything we’ve ever known. What do you want your legacy to be?

JQ: The Bronx is home for me, I’m born and raised here. Through the years, I have seen the changes in our communities and it is rapidly changing to cater to people that want to sell our communities to the highest bidder. Being raised in one of the poorest communities in America, many of us were born into a system that was meant to fail us.

Seeing so many minority-owned businesses coming up from our generation makes me so proud, and really encourages me to push forward. The fact that our communities, that have strived from generations to become their own, is now beginning to be taken over by corporations, and driving the people out of our communities because either they cannot afford to live there anymore or they’re being kicked out, makes me very sad. I am truly honored to be able to capture classic scenes from our neighborhoods, and preserve them for future generations to see.

The changes are constant, and all of us as creatives should express ourselves through this sort of “Renaissance” period that our city is going through. What I want my legacy to be is one of a Latina woman, proud of where she came from, always in progression to inspire as many people as she could, struggling with anxiety and living through many situations and still remaining strong and focused on her dream.

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MODELS: KIARA VENTURA & MATTHEW VAZQUEZ

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MINIMAL STYLE DAILY PHOTOGRAPHY: BRANDON THOMAS BROWN MODELS: TINA ROE ADLIN BRYANT, ANGEL ESPADA CHARLOTTE LEE & NATHAN DANTE

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HOODANTICSNYC.COM/ ARTIST: RICARDO PIERRE MODEL: LIL ZENNI

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ARTIST: JANEL YOUNG MODELS: JANEL YOUNG & JAY STONE PHOTOGRAPHY: VICTORIA CRUZ & JULY QUIN

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CASEENA KARIM CASEEN CASEENA A KARIM KARIM CASENA KARIM

ARTSY WINDOW X THE EXPERIENCE MAG

IM

CASENA KARIM

CASENA KARIM CASENA KARIM ‘You can either hide for the rest of you life and not make the work that you want or you can make work that is actually impactful but you have to understand that that is dangerous given your identity.’

CASEENA KARIM CASEENA KARIM CASEENA KARIM

BY KIARA VENTURA PHOTGRAPHY BY YENDISAY Born and raised in Brooklyn, Caseena Karim is a 21-year-old video artist. Karim prides herself as Guyanese first generation queer woman of color. She aims to explore all the different parts of herself and her identity through her work. She is a senior currently attending Parsons School of Design in NYC and attempts to “reimagine new worlds for queer and trans people to live in.” Whether it is through recording herself using her Macbook camera, capturing her virtual world or animating personal drawings, Karim attempts to capture her lived experience as a queer woman of color. Her work moves through its rawness, explicitness, and mixed video images. All forms of information and pieces that reflect Karim are mixed into one and come alive through every video pixel.

Karim is the founder of Crave More BK, a collective for Queer artists of color, and has shown her work at the Breathing Beautiful exhibition, Huntington Library, Queer Sentiments exhibition, and ArtsyWindow’s This Hair. This Skin. This Body. She has also served as an artist assistant for contemporary artist Baseera Khan’s solo show, iammuslima.

KV: Your work first capture my eye when I chose it to be a part of This Hair. This Skin.

This Body. back in August 2017. It’s pretty hard to come across a video artist these days. When did you begin creating video art?

CK: I started doing video art pretty much after the election happened. I guess the election scared me because after that happened I was like ‘I just want to take my whole site down. I KV: How did you get into making art? want to stop making work or being visible. I CK: I had been sketching since I was a kid. I just want to make paintings or something.’ I had the marble composition notebooks that went to my professor, Baseera Khan, and she we all had and I would sketch in it at lunch said, ‘You can either hide for the rest of you and people would be into it. Then I started life and not make the work that you want or doing that again in highschool but just in my you can make work that is actually impactful notes and people always liked that but I just but you have to understand that that is danthought that it was shit. gerous given your identity.’

It was something that came naturally to me.

Sometimes when that happens you think you KV: What do you want your work to say about are not working hard enough. you and your identity?

I was always working to be a social scientist or psychologist. But I lost interest. So I took all of the sketches I had in my notes and collaged them together into a piece I had to submit for Parsons. I had no idea what I was doing because I had no art background. So when I got here, I was surprised because a lot of my professors really liked my work. I was watching something yesterday that Kara Walker said. She said ‘declare yourself as an artist and figure it out after.’ I think everyone has the capability to be an artist.

CK: I want my work to say I’m here and I don’t have to be here as a product for you to be buying. I have so many different parts of my identity and I don’t want to hide it from anyone. In the real world, I have much less confidence. I can say things in my art works that I will probably never say in person. It’s an easy way for me to really speak to people. I’m trying to say that I matter. I want people to see my work and say, ‘Wow, there is another person who looks like me and she is successful.’

In my work, I talk about the ignoring of people of color, muslim people, women, and

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KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM

also gender nonconforming people. By literally having my body in my work, I am calling attention to those things and making it explicit enough.

KV: Who is someone you look up to?

CK: My goal is to be like the people I look up to like Princess Nokia. Her throwing soup at this white supremacist on the train and saying get out...that was awesome. She is someone who is in the public eye yet still has her politics and morals together

KV: Would you consider yourself an activist through your work?

CK: I don’t feel safe going out to protests most of the time but I’ll get shit from people for not going. I don’t always have to be super visible in that light and that is not what activism is for me. They put this burden on you in school that ‘it is your job to change the world and relay the information you get here to other people’ which is true but I think putting that burden on students of color and queer students is unfair.

We don’t have connections to people to do that. We are here just trying to be happy. For me that is my form of activism-- inspiring other people and helping other people within my community. Being an artist is inherently being an activist at the same time... at least for me.

KV: What is a frustration you have with today’s art world?

CK: I’m frustrated that are not dynamic representations of queer and trans people of color in the media but also in the art world meaning that we are just always tokenized. We are always the side character or an addition, just so they can say that ‘we are there.’ But we are never the main attraction.

KV: What is your main goal with your video art?

CK: I want to show that I am scared of what is happening in the world but I am still standing here so I’m still going to fight for what I believe in... which is that we have the potential to be happy and it is also something we deserve.

What I also try to do in my work is reimagine new worlds for queer and trans people to live in, where we can be free. By having that representation or that idea, it helps us to move towards that. I think a lot of the times we are stuck on all the issues. We are usually not thinking about, ‘well what would it look like if this was real? What would freedom look like? What would self confidence look like or happiness look like for me or for my community?’ I don’t want my video art to be this place of fantasy to get lost in but it’s there and it can be a real place.

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CASEENA CASEENA CASEENA CASEENA

KARIM KARIM KARIM KARIM

WWW.CRAVEMOREBK.COM WWW.VIMEO.COM/AGGYBBY

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“INTERCEPTING INTERSECTIONALITY” Intersectionality is something almost everyone can relate to. Common normalities that still seem to set someone apart from the “status quo.” A “struggle within a struggle” is how I personally like to describe it. Coined by Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989, the concept being an experience that certain people, specifically women face in the world. From racism to gender, it’s essentially, overlapping multiple identities. Things like race, economic class, religion, and sexual orientation have a direct impact on how people are normalized with living their lives. Often the concerns, issues, and lives of those people are swept under the rug. Unfortunately, WOC can attest to that the most. See, it’s one thing to be Black but to also be a woman creates a world that only BW can identify with. Lifes issues are not only harder, they are broader. There Is going to always be a “position” or “place” specified for you and those like you.

Because of those reasons, Black women often have to create and find different and sometimes unique avenues to face the harsh reality we face. Creating safe spaces while being attentive to things in life we cannot avoid. It can get tricky but Black women always find their way. Yes, there is therapy but we also have found ways through the years to cope, creatively. Through art, music, writing, protesting and now a way that’s becoming more common, podcasts. The open space for us to feel completely vulnerable and free. The Mecca for freedom of speech! Specifically zoning in on topics that only we can relate to indefinitely.

Not feeling rushed to finish expressing how we feel.

Podcasts have become so much more common in the Black community, specifically with Black women that it’s become our personalized therapy session.

We have the freedom to wrestle with our intersectionality as well as enjoy one another’s company, or not. Being that Black women are the epitome of intersectionality and media is as prevalent as it is, podcasts are our easiest ways to reach the masses and tell them exactly what black women live, lor, hate and breathe. Shameless and honest shows that provide the comfortable space to have open dialogue on any topic. Still facing the discrimination and inequality still today, BW oftentimes feel stifled. So, it’s refreshing and alleviating to feel understood, loved and valued within our community. “Black women talk” “On one with Angela Rye” Bag ladiez” and “Shaded & Faded: the fkng podcast” are just a mere few of shows that as a Black woman, you will connect to. As we continue to fight for what’s owed to us and to prevail, remember to keep your head held high and your voice as loud as thunder.

Jenelle Rebeca

Connect with these dope podcasts on itunes and/or soundcloud -Black Women Talk - Gettin’ Grown -On One With Angela Rye - Shaded & Faded: the fkng podcast -Black Girls Being -Bag Ladiez

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“AND NOW.....

A SHORT COMIC BROUGHT TO YOU

BY An AFRO LATINA WHO WANTS YOU TO SHUT THE F*#K UP & LISTEN” 100

INTRODUCING....

ADRIANA RODRIGUEZ

BY JAY STONE

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JS: Describe yourself in 3 moods.

AR:

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JS: Can you tell us about your experience as an Afro Latina woman growing up?

AR: That’s tough — I was pretty out of the loop growing up. Growing up I didn’t know whether to identify as black, white, Latina. Being mixed I was too white for my black friends, too black for my white friends, and although I look solely Hispanic to the untrained eye; I don’t speak Spanish, so of course I was ostracized in that regard. Admittedly I kowtowed to Western beauty standards, and tried SO hard to be a white girl. It hasn’t been until the last, five years I’d say I’ve really been embracing my prowess as a woman of color.

I have a really specific childhood memory that I think perfectly sums up my experience growing up as an Afro Latina woman, though. I was getting my hair twisted at a friend’s house. Everybody there was my skin tone, or a little darker. The only difference between us, unknown by appearances alone, was that I didn’t know a lick of Spanish other than hola. As my friend’s mom is handling my hair, she’s getting her chisme on with her girls. They’re talking about how somebody in the family is shacking up with some black guy, and how she’s going to “set back the race and make another kid with pelo malo”. I don’t even think I knew what “pelo malo” necessarily meant back then, but I wanted to rip mine from her hands. It was like, shit, you don’t realize I’m black, do you? You just know my last name is Rodriguez.

Interesting.

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JS: Your work is really colorful which is a contrast to some of the moods you express tell us in your work. Tell us about that disparity & almost contradictive element in your artistry.

AR: I realize usually the mood of my work is on the darker side, so naturally I attempt to excite the viewers eye. There’s also a strong duality involving darker emotions that evoke vibrant colors — for every moment of despair I have, I feel that there’s this manic wave of euphoria. One second it’s rainclouds, the next it’s rainbows and butterflies.

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I also feel like I make-up my work the same exact way I make-up myself on my worst days. Those are the days I really come to serve. When I break out the crazy boots, wild outfits, the glitter. So many people tell me they think I’m put together, and I’m like, what? My mom had to call and convince me to get out of bed this morning. So I try to apply the same philosophy to my art as I do my outfits — I go out, I stunt and sparkle so that I can feel my best. My art expresses my darkest secrets and demons, so naturally I dress them to kill.

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JS: What are some social constructs that you feel needs to be addressed more & how will you apply the solutions in your work going forward?

AR: Human sexuality, the stigma behind mental health, gender, and race — the list goes on.

I definitely feel as though I’m already combating human sexuality, maybe more specifically the expression of feminine sexuality in this day and age. I’m empowering myself via artistic selfie!

Booty popping, cleavage out, dazzling. Unashamed of embracing myself, my body, and how I’m feeling at the moment. I’m also really about normalizing mental illness. My feelings are all over the place, but they’re valid — and I affirm that by shouting them out in my illustrations. I think people can relate to that, and it helps. As somebody who suffers from depression and anxiety, I know how important it is to talk about it, and hear other peoples’ stories. It wasn’t until the people around me began sharing, that I realized, “Oh wow, you feel like that, too?”

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Adriana

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THE SKY MIGHT FALL “What does an astronaut do? They explore places in search of finding things. Somewhat certain of what they’re looking for yet just hoping to find whatever’s out there.”

Damian Dickson Interview & Creative Director: Jay Stone Photography: Rod Porter

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JS: What was your first experience in fine art?

DD: Well, I’ve been an artist my entire life you know like most people. My mom and I thought I’d grow up to be a cartoonist because I was always into drawing. So she has always been like supportive of me being creative but I never got serious with my art until about 2015. That’s when I went to a gallery for the first time and the director thought I was really talented but he told me my art had no substance. He felt as if it didn’t mean anything, it was just cool drawings. So because of that I reevaluated what ART really meant to me or what it actually was.

And I came to terms with the fact that I wasn’t being creative, I was just drawing pictures I thought looked nice. So I figured id try to think of creative ways to portray things I’ve seen, or experienced. So I started telling my story but in a way where it covers multiple facets of life.

Where a painting can be visually beautiful but when you really sit with it and stare it, it can trigger you. Even if it triggers my audience in a bad way it lets them know that they aren’t alone or the only one experiencing whatever it may be, this is just how I turn ugly situations beautiful. Because there is value is everything we experience. Sometimes overthinking can be helpful with the creative process.

JS: Identity, searching & self-awareness are reoccurring themes that I take from your work.

Often times when you show your work on instagram for instance; it usually comes with a very detailed description on how you might be feeling at that particular moment & how it relays to that piece. Then you’ll post the same piece maybe weeks later with a completely new set of thoughts. What is it about your work that often brings us to your thoughts on just about everything & how is it that you always manage to tie it into the themes of the piece?

DD: You see my art is very simple in terms of how I execute. But what they mean are often times very complex, they cover multiple issues most people can relate to. Its never just one thing you know. I do that with my art because I think about the things I looked at as a kid. For example, The Lion King. As a kid you see it and you appreciate the sing along stuff like Timon and Pumba for instance. But then later down the line if you watch it as an adult or even a teenager with a bit more knowledge than you had years before you can really appreciate the gems you never caught, like how people can be deceiving, how it takes a village to raise a child, how important male role models are, how to appreciate people while you have them, how to channel the greatest within you whatever it may be, how to grow with your partner. Then when you realize its just like wow, that’s what this really about. So i do that with my art. I make pretty pictures that you can appreciate it then by when you fall in love with it, it teaches you things, maybe brings important things we often overlook to your attention. How common they are you know.

THE SKY

FALL MIGHT

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JS: Ok so, the story behind your astronaut begins where & what does he represent?

DD: I’m from Trinidad right. When I first came to America I had no idea what racism was. I was quickly introduced to it in school when I was taught the history of this country. And like most people my age, growing up in New York in the 21st century. You tell yourself, wow black people and other minorities had it really hard, thank God those times are long gone. In 2014 I had a blunt reality check. I was in North Carolina for the entire summer that year. And I meet this girl, she was white, her family had just moved From Georgia. We became friends; we spent a lot of time together. Before I was headed back to New York I asked her if she thinks we would be a good couple if we ever tried it. & she told me, “no way in hell, I think you’re cool, I enjoy talking to you, I enjoy spending time with you, but you’re black, my family would kill you & disown me, I don’t look any black guy as a potential partner”. I didn’t even know how to accept that because I’ve never experienced racism really or at least to my face you know.

And I thought about it for months upon months. Like wow, she likes everything about me accept the color of my skin. You know like I can have all the answers to all her problems but because I’m black she wouldn’t want it. It bothered me not because of her, but for what she represents, she spoke for millions of people who felt that way, it wasn’t just he and her family, it was the fact that there are millions of people who felt that way & wont ever change. Having to accept that bothered me a lot, judging people base off of things they have no control of is so crazy to me. I thought this was someone that actually liked me saying this; so imagine how people who didn’t want to sit next to me on the train felt; imagine how the people who don’t even know black people feel. So I wanted to tell the story, I wanted it to be about me but not about me at the same time because I wanted people to relate to it. Because everyone didn’t have my same exact experience but most people have looked for love in the wrong place. Most people of color have experienced racism; I wanted a clever way to visually portray that.

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So I sat on the idea of “looking for love in all the wrong places” for about a year. Then I decided to use an astronaut because I feel like that’s an explorer, someone that’s always looking for something and it can be anyone. Then I put that astronaut underwater with roses; as a representation of me in North Carolina 2014. Astronauts have no business underwater you know. So it’s about my experience but it’s also anyone who was looking for love in the wrong place at some point in their life. The fact that you can’t tell who the astronaut is eliminates race. Once you understand the message you realize that sadness isn’t a black thing, anger isn’t a black thing, happiness isn’t a white thing, being a leader isn’t a “white mans job”, intelligence isn’t a trait that belongs to any specific race of people. This is why I use astronauts, to recondition people to think more realistic without the influence of stereotypes.

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THE SKY MIGHT FALL JS: I see... so you’re one of the most gifted artists I’ve come across. I do believe that at some point you’ll be a household name. The sooner the better, I don’t believe in waiting until niggas is dead to show love. With that being said how do you feel about the current state of the art world, as you know it?

DD: I hate art today because people aren’t really passion anymore. Social media has became the end all be all for too many artist. People making art of things because they’re trending not because it’s something they feel you know. But if I say that I’m a hater because I am also an artist, but if I say it as an art critic then I don’t know what I’m taking about. But in all honesty talent is talent, if an artist if good at something nothing anyone says can change that, but sometimes being talented is the easy part when it comes to creativity. If you want to sell your work or be taken seriously it has to be authentic, people have to feel it, whether it be for them or not. Good art is undeniable. Whether are person relates to it or not, anyone can appreciate something good. Here’s an example, most country folks aren’t really hip-hop fans, but if they hear a great song they have no choice but to enjoy it or at least appreciate it. Now apply that to art or whatever craft you choose. If you don’t make art that EVERYONE can appreciate then you aren’t doing it right. At that point its not even about technical abilities, it becomes about the message, the intent, can it stand the test of time? How does it make people feel now & even 20 years from now? Can someone see this work of art for the first time 50 years from now and feel something? These are things I think about because my art has to outlive the “moment” it has to outlive me. I don’t just make pretty pictures. Because when you do that when its out of site its out of mind. People forget it until they see it again. I channel things that are authentic to me. Not what I think people would react to, or familiar with. That’s what ART is. Creative Expression. Anyone can draw, not everyone can create. j

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REGRETS 117

AMBER IMAN

BITCH, I’M THE AFRO DIETY

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AFRO DEITY JS: Your work is heavily reflective of today’s society, almost unconsciously.

It very easily speaks the language of the time we live in now in just how it illustrates feminism, racism, and spirituality amongst people of color. How did this become the main focus of your art?

AI: I think Nina Simone says it best, “as an artist it is my duty to reflect the times as well as influence it.” Art molds the world.

I’m creating a blueprint. A manuscript.

With every brushstroke, pencil mark, canvas stretched, I am writing the future. And the future is a Black Woman; fierce, strong, independent and ready to rule.

JS: So I dig the fact that you pay very particular attention to how you illustrate your subject’s hair. Why do you put that much thought into that?

AI: I love that you asked this question!! As a Black woman, I know how it feels to want to live by European beauty standards. And for a long time that standard was straight hair. Although I was never entirely a victim of that standard, I know far too many black women that have damaged their hair with relaxers trying to uphold a standard that should have never pertained to us. So I spend the most time on the details of hair to let my fellow Black community that our hair is beautiful and that we are the origin of everything. Women hold a large base of their pride in their hair and I love to represent that, especially with large Afros. I feel large Afros symbolize our strength and our crowns as we are Queens and should always be viewed as such.

JS: I consider you apart of this new style of art I invented (yes why not) and its called PopSoul. Pop Art just with some sauce to it. Content filled art being illustrated with very vibrant & loud colors.

Do you have theory as to why it just feels better to say something real with a lively & an exciting color palette?

AI: PopSoul. I like that. Color is like a visual high to me. I love creating pieces that capture attention immediately. Us Black women have been on the back burner for too long, I use vibrant colors to get us noticed and our voices heard.

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AFRO

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JS: What about yourself are you trying to tell us through your work? Tells us about your thoughts behind the messages in your work.

AI: I want my work to reek of resilience, attitude, power, and self love because that’s how I view myself. I want to empower others to do the same.

JS: Who inspires you?

AI: I’m honestly inspired by everything. I could see dried rain scum on an mta train window and become inspired. I guess my biggest inspiration is my environment as well as the times we live in. My art is a reflection of the world and how I correlate in it.

JS: Ultimately why do you create?

AI: I create for my sanity. I know that is selfish but it is the truth. Yes, I do create for my audience and to help persuade them into dismantling the “angry black woman” label for independent black women. But I am always creating for peace of mind. I’ve noticed that if I stop crating for long periods of time, I grow very distant and I dissociate from people as well as I shut down and become severely depressed. My art is my life—my purpose. It’s the only thing I’m admittedly good at and I love it.

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T I M E S