Issue 52 | www.fokus.org
Atiba T. Edwards // Founder & Chief Curator
Atiba is an engineer focused on making and connecting creative people through moments so that they can impact their own world.
Jozi Zwerdling // Curator
Jozi is an artist enabler, educator and organizer who loves the INSIGHT project as a means of re-imagining, linking and documenting selves, stories and worlds.
Shani Cohen // Curator
Shani is a Brooklyn based writer who believes in uniting our diverse communities through art and the power of words.
Cheryl Lee Bowers // Curator
Cheryl is a Brooklyn based visual artist who believes photography and art is her freedom. “Visual Art is all about revelation, communication and celebration.”
Jordan Kifer // Curator
Jordan is a Brooklyn based writer focused on creating art that invites conversation and inspires larger cultural impact.
Marja Lankinen // Curator
Marja is a LA based writer, commercial dancer and founder of Yoga For Dancers. She believes that voices speak volumes, and it’s time for the visionaries and vanguards for a more just and equitable world to be heard.
INSIGHT Magazine showcases and archives emerging contemporary artists from all art disciplines. FOKUS produces this magazine to provide insight into people who are creating art, traditional and non-traditional, in their own way.
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Cover by Amarachi Crystal Esowe Contributing Artists:
Lousy Auber • Cheryl Lee Bowers • Dirk • Amarachi Crystal Esowe • Dovid Gold • Marja Lankinen • Walter T. Lacy III • Mari Pack • Devora Reiss • Christine Stoddard • Joon Song • Jenná Wallace • Jozi Zwerdling
/FOKUS
/FOKUSart
/FOKUS
/FOKUSart
Questions, comments and contributions can be sent to insightsubmit@gmail.com. To view older issues of INSIGHT, visit www.fokus.org/insight. Copyright © 2017. INSIGHT (ISSN 2164-7771) is a publication of FOKUS, Inc. All rights reserved on entire contents. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
INSIGHT: TRIBE Contents 4 5 6 8 14 15 22 36 37 39 44 46 20
Mari Pack Hell is the Backwater Christine Stoddard Mud Witch Tribe Christine Stoddard Tribe Devora Reiss & Dovid Gold Survivors Dirk Untitled Jozi Zwerdling Art & Resistance Through Education Lousy Auber Tribes Cheryl Lee Bowers Unity Marja Lankinen i am from Amarachi Crystal Esowe The Igbo Matrix Walter T. Lacy III Timeless Joon Song Belong Jennรก Wallace Glow in the Whirlwind
Photography
Visual Art
Creative Writing
Articles
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Hell is the Backwater Mari Pack
Some of us will be martyrs not because we want to be martyrs but because the act of loving the world is so hard these days in this weather it takes so much out of us that we would rather go all at once or else the weight could crush us by the end, which is why I bought a Swiss Army knife at the flea market on Atlantic avenue and wore it around my neck like a curse like a threat like a dead end in the corner of my bedroom where she bought me purple-headed tulips for my window in February; it is February still and I am softer than any woman is allowed to be women who make children with their bodies who raise children with their bodies we are greater than our bodies but we must embody something greater because if your body is not big enough to make a blanket over everyone you love then take your body to bed because you do not have to be a martyr today. Mari Pack is a writer from the outskirts of Washington, D.C. She earned an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Toronto in 2013, and promptly abandoned the ivory tower to work for a social justice nonprofit in Israel. Now the editor of Wavelength, her work has been published in Quail Bell Magazine, The Huffington Post, and The Establishment, among others. She lives in Brooklyn. 4 | www.fokus.org
Mud Witch Tribe
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Christine Stoddard
After so many of my female Facebook friends posted “Me, too” on Facebook to comment on their experiences with rape culture, sexual assault, and domestic violence, I was moved to join them. But I didn’t want to post “Me, too” on Facebook. I didn’t want to perform my pain and I didn’t want others to ogle it. So I made this piece. It features a tribe of mud witches. I wanted to conjure the power I know that I have inside of me as a woman. Sometimes I just want to bury my body in the mud and cast spells on all of the men who’ve tried to ruin me. I know I am not the only one.
www.fokus.org |
5
INSIGHT: TRIBE
6 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Tribe Christine Stoddard is a Salvadoran-Scottish-American writer and artist who lives in Brooklyn. In 2014, Folio Magazine named her one of the top 20 media visionaries in their 20s for founding Quail Bell Magazine. A former artist-in-residence at Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Art Center in Maryland, she is currently a Connor Art Fellow at the City College of New York. www.WorldOfChristineStoddard.com www.fokus.org |
7
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Survivors
Devora Reiss & Dovid Gold The abstract and illustration photorealism describe both a reality and a reaction to that reality. When examining subjects faced with oppression we highlight their strength and inner fortitude, recognizing the beauty in their resilience. It is an effort to grasp the visual definition of a survivor. We examine individuals who are struggling within their group but who are on the forefront of discovering their tomorrow. At this extracted moment we see them away from the group that is essential to them and imagine the possibilities incased within their future. These various images, on different levels, contain a vivid dialogue of compliment and contrast, creating a balance that also has drama. These works are rendered with acrylic, ink and oil paint. The entire scope of our works is meant to express a collective feeling while individually, each have their own conflict and identity.
8 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
www.fokus.org |
9
INSIGHT: TRIBE
10 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
www.fokus.org |
11
INSIGHT: TRIBE
12 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Devora Reiss and Dovid Gold are a couple currently residing in Passaic Park, New Jersey. They have an interest in using various mediums to create works that inspire dialogue. www.fokus.org |
13
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Untitled Dirk
Dirk is a NYC native street artist whose goal is to get people thinking for themselves. Dirk is a muralist, illustrator and wheatpaster who believes that the true crime is not illegal art, but making art illegal. 14 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Art and Resistance Through Education (ARTE) Interview with Marissa Gutierrez-Vicario by Jozi Zwerdling
I worked with Marissa Gutierrez-Vicario in a middle school in East Harlem in 2015-2016. I was always impressed by her approach to youth development and the way she treated young people with great respect, humor, intellect and curiosity. She truly became a member of what I see as my “tribe,” and is now my roommate. I felt there was no better time to interview her about her small but impactful organization, Art and Resistance Through Education (ARTE), which I know for her is a daily labor of love, community, and the pursuit of a more just world for our youth. What is the story behind your founding of Art and Resistance Through Education (ARTE)? Where does the story begin? There is a part of me that says it began five years ago, there’s a part of me that says 10 years ago and there’s a part of me that thinks it started when I was a teenager. So, I think officially for ARTE, our first project was in New York in 2010 and it was really a gathering of different community organizations or different tribes, different artists, and ARTE wasn’t even really a thing then. I would say 2013 we kind of officially got off the ground as we got more people involved and 2016 was when we got our 501(c)3. The first inspiration in New York was when I moved in 2007 and I came here and I started working with students in East New York. I was a part of another organization, and we started talking about human rights education in the classroom. I remember students would be like, “Oh who cares, human rights—you know we’re talking about human rights in some other country, in Cambodia, like who gives a shit? But you know there are human rights abuses that are happening on our backs, right outside our doors,” so that really resonated with me. The reason I wanted to do ARTE, is there’s this huge disconnect with the idea of international law or human rights—that it’s very boring and disconnected. The idea is to use art, to use artistic mediums, to use creativity and imagination to bring human rights to the forefront in a way that people can actually relate to and feel connected to. So that was the genesis of ARTE. As a teenager, I really wrestled with the idea of “I’m an artist.” I really liked art and piñatas, they’re really important to me. But when I studied as an undergraduate, I did International Relations and Political Science and I never studied art formally, because there’s this myth that we have that art is not a real discipline or a real study. It’s not taken seriously, or people question, “How will you make money?” all these kinds of things that I’ve heard young people themselves tell me. So finally, ARTE was the intersection. It was the way for me to engage young people but also to reconcile these two things that were always battling against each other, arts and creativity, and then social science or politics; the “money-makers.” So, when ARTE first started—again I’ve been thinking about it since I was a young girl—I wished ARTE had existed for me. I also realize that the idea of social justice through the arts has been around for a long time, it’s not a new phenomenon. But for us, the idea of human rights and human rights education is very specific. Even though we are a social justice organization, we are intentional about using a human rights framework.
www.fokus.org |
15
INSIGHT: TRIBE
What are the current projects you are working on with ARTE? One project we’ve worked with is at a school on the west side every year. It’s going to be our fourth year on campus. There are actually students who are going to have been there for four years. Since freshman, they’ve been in this program. We’re tiny, but at this school we’ve done projects—usually mostly with women, who identify as young women. We’ve usually done projects on sexual harassment, racial discrimination, or prison and mass incarceration. So that’s a project we’ll probably start in January or February. Last year at this school, we actually made a mural on Maxine Greene who was this educator-philosopher-social justice activist. We haven’t started that yet, but right now we’re in the middle of a collaboration with young people at a high school in the Bronx. So, we’re doing an after-school program with them on Mondays. Hopefully by May we’ll produce some kind of community piece of art there at the school. We usually work in chunks. We do four to six weeks at a time at Rikers, until it closes, because we think it should close. We work with the Center for Justice at Columbia and frequently partner with them. Last year we did a lot of workshops with young women at Rikers and this year we’re going to do some more projects. We have done some gender equity units with the young men there. All our projects would usually culminate in a mural but not always. The ones at Rikers aren’t mural projects yet—usually we’re making collages and portraits. It’s hard because the supplies are very limited there. For them it’s more about talking; exposing them to art that talks about sexual harassment and gender-based violence, talking about what is masculinity, what does it mean to be a man, what are these gender roles. Ideally, we want to get to a place where we talk about gender rights and feminism. We’re also trying to dismantle these patterns of behavior that are patriarchal and have been ingrained in people’s minds since they’re born so a lot of that work is very hard. And also, the intersection of gender and race; what does it mean to be a black or latinx man in jail, how are they perceived 16 | www.fokus.org
and also what does that mean for their interactions with people who identify as women and girls. So those are our main projects right now. Also, we’ve designed this mural with a group of young women at Rikers focused on a group of women we identify as “Global Women Heroes.” The idea is that in the spring we’ll finally execute this mural that was designed by women in Rikers, outside of Rikers. Hopefully when they’re released and we’re still in contact they can participate but if not, we want to honor their work and the fact that they designed this community mural. It’s been a while, admittedly. We’ve been waiting for the right wall and we’re still looking but we’ve made this commitment to do it so we want to finish it. On top of the programs we have with students, we have community events. We had our youth panel recently. We do professional development series with educators. We teach educators how to support young people and have a human rights curriculum. We offer two-hour workshops, not just with youth but also with college students or organizations, that help subsidize our work in schools and in prisons. Our dream is to have a cohort of young organizers. So, they would design a mural that’s not necessarily housed at a particular institution, but they’re considered part of an ARTE cohort and the idea is that they’re creating a piece of artwork but they’re also building their own curriculum and also training other young people. That’s the dream, but the dream has a price tag.
How would you define the term “tribe?” I think it is a connection with people. So, one word that comes up not just in ARTE, but also in social justice, is “community.” It’s funny, because what does that word actually mean? And I don’t actually know what it means. I can make that up, but who is in your community, who do you consider part of it, for instance, is New York our community? As I continue ARTE, I realize “Oh New York is my community, but also, I’m a transplant, but unfortunately, I’m also I’m a gentrifier.”
INSIGHT: TRIBE
www.fokus.org |
17
INSIGHT: TRIBE
18 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
It’s all these different things, you know what I mean? I went to some event, and I realized “Oh I get it, there’s this collective understanding if you’re in New York…how the subways operate or…how everyone understands what it means to hear, “Showtime!” So, I think those are identifying aspects of a particular place you’re in and feeling connected to people in that way. I don’t know what the textbook definition is supposed to be but I think for me tribe is very synonymous with community. I feel like I’m a lone wolf sometimes. I’m like, I’m just going to climb this mountain, and I’m going to be by myself. I do feel like that sometimes but I realize, even the fake introvert in me… you can’t build things if you’re not part of a tribe, if you’re not a part of community. As much as I do sometimes want to make art alone on a beach and drink piña coladas (that’s my ultimate dream), I know you need a tribe to build movements. For me, ARTE’s a part of that and connecting with that. I think about all of the people I’ve had the chance to meet here, and it’s going to be seven years now, how many people I’ve met across the city who are doing this work, and how many students I’ve met. Even recently when I run into students on the street. I’m like what are the chances of that? It’s like why is this happening, why in this huge city I’m meeting these kids that I haven’t seen who were part of my program? So, I think that is tribe.
How has “tribe” in your definition supported and propelled the work of ARTE? I’ll backtrack a little bit. One of my jobs out of grad school when I moved here was to work with Public Allies New York, a nonprofit—a ten month AmeriCorps apprenticeship program. I realized in that two-year time period we got to meet people—and for better or for worse because nonprofits can be good or bad and everything between— but we met people who were doing work across the city, literally across the city who were doing that work and now when I look back at that, a lot of our board members, a lot of the reasons we have connections are because of Public Allies. It’s ironic, because I was very torn too. Initially I grappled
with taking the position. I was like “Should I be doing something else, do I want to be part of this program, is this what I need to be doing?” All these things, these things I questioned, and I had all these doubts in my mind. Since then I’ve realized again, so many people have helped ARTE become what it is. From the first mural we ever did, that wall was located because someone had a connection with someone from the Bronx. When I think about it, at least two of our board members are from Public Allies. This is a case where having a tribe; where there’s such a huge element of trust that’s required for a tribe to exist. So, when we do this work, I would never be like, “Yeah, our shit is the best shit,” but I think as we work with people and they invite us in and they see the quality of our work, or at least the passion we have for this work. It’s a word of mouth thing, and they attest that they know it’s going to be something that is true. With ARTE we have such limited resources, we have to rely on our tribe to get things done. So many people volunteer their time, and even friends of friends. Even right now we’re having this huge fundraiser, and people are volunteering their time. Tribe is also the idea that for whatever reason people trust that I know what I’m doing. That’s a blessing too, because when people become a part of ARTE (and they’re also self-selecting) but I think people feel really connected with the mission. One of the things I’m most proud of, again we’re small, but we are a good tribe and a part of a family. So those are the things I love about ARTE. I love the interns we’ve had. I love the people who I’ve met along this journey. That’s the beauty of that is when you create something and it lives outside of you. Even this past Wednesday, we had an event and seriously, other people ran it and I could have not been there and it would have been fine. In order to create the dream and have true sustainability, you have to have a strong tribe.
www.fokus.org |
19
INSIGHT: TRIBE
What has been your way of knowing whom to bring in to the tribe for ARTE? For example, I met up with someone on Saturday before the workshop, from Public Allies—I’ve just been thinking a lot about them recently, and I haven’t seen him in probably five years or more. He said, “In our time together, I learned so much from you.” And that was so sweet, but I also learned from him you know what I mean? So, it’s a matter of I haven’t seen this person in a long time, but people see what we’ve been up to… and social media is a part of it. All these different things that help tribes stay connected. For him, he was like “Whatever you need, I’ll do whatever you need. I’m here, I support you and ARTE.” I’m going to get choked up because that’s amazing you know? Especially in New York, you know how New York is so busy; we’re always running around. For someone to have that trust, and they just know that we need each other, and they know that the work is good. Someone who can vouch for that. Especially in this nonprofit world, applying for all these fellowships and grants and things, having someone who can vouch for you and know that even if things fall through they still can attest that this person is legit. This is not just tribe but New York, too. The idea that I’m vouching for this person. I can trust this person. I watched GoodFellas recently, and I was thinking about the idea of loyalty. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a really horrible movie in some ways, but in another way, it made me think about: Who can you trust when the shit hits the fan? It made me think about this New York mentality and the fact that there are so many people here with this mentality. Especially since I’m from Southern California, it’s a whole different thing, but I’m really fascinated by that and by people who are going to help you and why they help you, and those whom, as they move forward, take you with them.
How can we support the work of ARTE? You can follow us on our website and on Twitter and on Instagram and Facebook. We are having a fundraiser—obviously we don’t have fundraisers just to raise money, that’s a piece of it, but it’s also to build community. To spread the word, show up for ARTE. Part of the money will go towards that mural project and part to continuing ARTE programming. It’s also about building the tribe and building this larger network of people. It is about financial support—we always need artists and connections, but also showing up and being there and spreading the word. Sounds simple but it’s not, because it’s the idea that you’re vouching for us. If you’re saying this is someone I know and I trust them, people are more likely to donate and support.
20 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Is there anything else you want us to know? One thing I do want to say is that INSIGHT is an art magazine, and we’re an arts organization. Initially when people approach us we’re saying, “Yeah, arts are constantly being cut, money is not going to fund the arts. Of course, ARTE is about art, but it’s not just about art, it’s about human rights and it’s not just about making murals.” I’ve said this before and I’ll say this again and I’ll say this a thousand times: If students made a mural and if artistically it was really beautiful and that was the end of it, I feel like that would be a huge failure. For me, even if it’s not a perfect mural, but if they come back and they want to train and they want to organize and they want to actually do something about the issue they were referring to, to me that’s the win situation. I feel like it’s almost irresponsible to say “Hey, we made a mural, yay!” and then walk away from it. The mural should be the springboard for everything to come. We’re not there yet, but I want to get to the place where ARTE is not just this mural program but is an organizing program, it’s housed, the students themselves are actually leading it. If I had all the money in the world I wouldn’t hire ten adults. I would want ARTE to stay youth-oriented and I would equip people with the skills and tools they need to actually defend human rights. To me, that is the most important thing of all. For more info visit: www.artejustice.org
www.fokus.org |
21
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Tribes
Lousy Auber
22 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
www.fokus.org |
23
INSIGHT: TRIBE
24 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
www.fokus.org |
25
INSIGHT: TRIBE
26 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
www.fokus.org |
27
INSIGHT: TRIBE
28 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
www.fokus.org |
29
INSIGHT: TRIBE
30 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
www.fokus.org |
31
INSIGHT: TRIBE
32 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
www.fokus.org |
33
INSIGHT: TRIBE
34 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Lousy is a photographer. Lousy loves to appreciate nice things and is often out enjoying life. “Life is good. So why not have a camera on you when life is happening.” www.fokus.org |
35
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Unity
Cheryl Lee Bowers
Though composed of many tribes, Native Americans also comprise a historical tribe collectively. ative Americans are an historical tribe as a whole. Tribe denotes unity, community, culture, hard working, dedication and most of all family. A tribe that sticks together is stronger together....UNITY! Cheryl Lee Bowers is a photographer from East New York who loves to photograph life, paint, create, and collaborate. “Art will always be.� www.24-mp.com
36 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
I Am From
Marja Lankinen while my coming up came outside detroit’s city limits the poets who raised me taught me to read inside the illusions of our collective consciousness molly raynor was the first poet i ever saw on stage and while it’s been seven summers since i felt her sun i still remember as she shown me into the shadows of june bugs belle isle, and a city coughing “detroit is not dying” she said “she’s just catching her breath” and now that i stand outside her pregnant body i can see detroit’s womb lined with broken homes and project buildings art on walls and in alleyways the only difference is the sum of zip code gross and gaping grosse point has the most capital per capita in the nation but won’t say hello to its neighbor if suburb is the body detroit is its soul and if you don’t know elzi buff1 or dilla you don’t know detroit like i do It didn’t profit on the superbowl but is rich with prophets who can’t spell urban renewal go to the sphinx at night for classical jazz or the DIA en el dia to see diego rivera is the only water running through detroit she cried her last tears with the spray and hiss of fire hydrants turned on black boys during the riots or rebellion depending on who you question my family saw gratiot go up in flames grandmother scooped husband and daughters from looters just getting what was theirs my grandma got hers and ran suitcased an entire family into the suburbs first generation to flee second to stay away third to come home detroit where success and struggle are synonyms beauty and ugly a two headed coin rolled in the hands of children playing with phonology and to fully live in this city is to fully fall flat face smashed into failure general motors knows kwami kilpatrick learned the hard way rosa parks did it the right way but claudette colvin who did it the first way will never be remembered or made into a boulevard we are all made from the same salt and dirt of smokestacks of june bugs and belle isle www.fokus.org |
37
INSIGHT: TRIBE
i am where i’m from malcolm motown obama jfk slum village common kanye the great lakes lincoln rock city detroit river dilla 826 and the 85th red line and the ren cen the people mover moving cocaine and the crack game grocery and the vacancy detroit and the heidleburg project ann arbor and the heidleburg restaurant where the klan once met or still does is howell or hell history doesn’t dissipate the ashes still linger we are all dreamers who can’t sleep because there’s still too much work eighty hours we keep these flames burning chicago once lit some say detroit should burn too but if its people are fire themselves we’ll burn this city ourselves bombing everything profound churches are sacred but so are backyards eminem is profane but so is the flint water system detroit will rise again chicago still burns i am where i’m from fingers matches burn
Marja Lankinen is a professional dancer (Beyonce, Oprah, Billboard Awards, Grammys), yoga therapist, LA YOGA Magazine staff writer, Insight co-editor, and founder and CEO of Yoga for Dancers. Marja lives in Los Angeles and travels the world teaching yoga and meditation for artists, athletes, and entrepreneurs. www.yogafordancers.com 38 | www.fokus.org
The Igbo Matrix
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Amarachi Crystal Esowe
I’m of the Igbo Tribe in Nigeria. A tribe that was dominantly Matriarchal (A Matrix Culture), but has vanished throughout the years of nonsecular ways and colonialism. I wanted to bring back a bit of the feminist culture I wish I grew up in, in a modern, dark, beautiful, and witchery way. In my digital collage series, each image is paired with their description in phrases from my language. Amarachi Crystal Esowe is a Nigerian visual and fine artist, raised in NYC. Esowe breathes life, depicts her dreams, reality, and language in her artwork, giving her viewers an emotional connection to her work. www.amarachiesowe.com www.fokus.org |
39
INSIGHT: TRIBE
40 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
www.fokus.org |
41
INSIGHT: TRIBE
42 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
www.fokus.org |
43
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Timeless
Walter Lacy III Only fools fail to count their blessings, and Not many things measure up to the gift of family. Genuine bonds are not easily broken. They endure the trials of conflict, Withstand the burden of grief, and overcome Collective shortcomings to stand tall in the face of adversity. I say family, with an understanding that such love is Not exclusive to blood relation. My kinship extends beyond borders, Transcends the racial lines that divide us, Despite an innate distrust for most white folks. The world can be a lonely place sometimes, Yet I find camaraderie in those who write dope rhymes, Relative unknowns cutting their teeth in freestyle sessions On street corners; On college campuses Mastering the intricacies of beatnik poems. Heart to hearts often shared on stage, for Nameless faces that respect what you do, But are mostly there to be entertained. Not to feel the pain that emanates from your Voice as it bellows, to shake the foundations of the Heavens and Earth. I watch the suffering of my people as mankind Sinks further into a treacherous abyss of its own creation. Libyans held at gunpoint, barrel to temple As the stories of old manifest before our eyes, And a lost generation bears witness to the horrors of slavery. How do we find our soul? Listen to the music of young children whose imaginations Run free with visions of superheroes. Turning the pages of comic books for inspiration Which often shatter the illusions of hopelessness That chokes the life out of adults. The babies see truth above all else, But are not oblivious to the differences that make us Question our existence. Wisdom lies in innocence. Eyes that analyze character, more than superficial symbols. I give thanks for the ones I call fam. Genuine bonds are not easily broken. Fortified by fist fights, football games, and life in public housing. Harassed by narcs, lurking the hood for low-level pushers. Long days, that became all-nighters writing essays for classes I cared nothing about. Vibing with emcees and singers, that fed my spirit Like mama’s prayers and Wolverine victories. Reminiscing on yesterday like the old heads bumping Frankie Beverly & Maze. 44 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
We Are One. Some chosen by blood, others by circumstance But all in accord with a Creator who loves us. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know you. Brothers from other mothers, that wax poetic on video games, dames, philosophy, and anime. Beautiful sisters with righteous fists raised from New York, to Detroit, and Houston. Afros that bask in the glory of the sun; Nappy haired-pony tails complimenting Complex intellect and dangerous curves, On standby for revolution. For you, I pen words to page. A charge to act, and a dedication. We ain’t dead yet, so live my baby. Sip the waters of resistance, but Don’t forget to dance like nobody’s watching. Lift your sword & shield for justice, But don’t hesitate to hug somebody. We Are One. Connected. Eternal. Timeless. A Tribe Called Us.
Walter T. Lacy III (Soul Emcee Detroit) is a performance poet and emcee from Detroit, MI. He is a passionate artist, committed to service through expression. www.blacknomadpoetrydetroit.wordpress.com
www.fokus.org |
45
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Belong
Joon Song
“Funny Face�. (Model: Ashley Urban, vintage clothier)
In the end, we all belong to a tribe or wish we did. Sometimes, we belong to many tribes. Belonging to a tribe gives us a profound sense of identity, and gives us something to fight for or be proud of. Tribes are things that are rooted in our blood--like ethnicity--or interests and professions--such as music. Sometimes they may be worn on the outside--like vintage clothing or tattoos--or are hidden from view, only to be revealed to a select few. These five photos are of people who, through their choice of pose, clothing, or lack of clothing, proclaim their allegiance to their tribe.
46 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
“VaVaVa Voom”. (Model: Autumn Tselios, alternative model)
www.fokus.org |
47
INSIGHT: TRIBE
“I Walk the Line”. (Model: Kal Madsen, actor and musician) 48 | www.fokus.org
INSIGHT: TRIBE
“There is a Light That Never Goes Out.” (Model: Amelia Morck, actress) www.fokus.org |
49
INSIGHT: TRIBE
“East of Eden�. (Model: Gina Clover, actress and writer) Joon Song, a native of Los Angeles, is a portrait and fashion photographer who draws inspiration from Modernists such as Weston and Penn, as well as Renaissance nudes, Art Deco costuming, and Mid-Century poetry. Some of his favorite subjects are people he approaches on the street or in cafes. His side project, the Cheap Shots Project, is a series of collaborations with photographers and artists using the same medium: disposable cameras. It is available on Instagram @cheap_shots_project. 50 | www.fokus.org
GLOW IN THE WHIRLWIND
INSIGHT: TRIBE
Jennรก Wallace
Doubting eyes can anybody see? doubting eyes peer at me can you? I see without looking looking within exposing rainbows possessing the GLOW from where? I dont know the answers of ancient quest wisdom beyond my flesh but originating from the sea reflections i see resemble both you and me Seemingly, at least energy never dies death is the beginning Originality born from a thousand cries fallen tear lie and find each other creating a river of love Shine from the inside and Glow in the whirlwind
Jennรก Wallace is a living representation of fashion & art. Originally from Los Angeles, she spent a decade living in New York. Now residing in Los Angeles, her experience has cultivated a vast knowledge of art and fashion trends of the past, present and future. www.GlowSocietyLLC.com www.fokus.org |
51
Thank You for reading INSIGHT: TRIBE We hope you enjoyed the work shared with you. The theme for the next issue is: MIGRATIONS Read more issues @ www.fokus.org/insight