INSIGHT - Play

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Issue 55 | 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 writer focused on creating art that invites conversation and inspires larger cultural impact.

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: PLAY

Cover by Jamiah Calvin Contributing Artists: Cheryl Lee Bowers • Elan Cadiz • Jamiah Calvin • Erica Hernandez • Alex Martinez • Lea Pompey • Oba Williams-Cantine • Ebony N Yizar • Christine Stoddard

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Questions, comments and contributions can be sent to insightsubmit@gmail.com. To view past issues of INSIGHT, visit www.fokus.org/insight. Copyright © 2018. 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.


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Jamiah Calvin Alex Martinez Erica Hernandez Oba Williams-Cantine Cheryl Lee Bowers Elan Cadiz Ebony N Yizar Lea Pompey Christine Stoddard

Photography

Visual Art

Selections from “Divinity” Series Locas/Wild Women SWSH Fighting Giants Boys Will Be Boys American Cheese Spontaneous Accidents Rope Burn Brooklyn Boro

Creative Writing

Articles


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Selections From The “Divinity” Series Jamiah Calvin

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Dear Summer Jamiah “Miah� Calvin is a visual artist from the West side of Chicago. Miah received a BFA with an emphasis on painting from Northern Illinois University. miahart340.wixsite.com/jamiahcalvin www.fokus.org |

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A Portion of Forever

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Saturdays and Dreamsicles www.fokus.org |

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Locas/Wild Women Alex Martinez

Milagros

My mixed medium paintings explore themes of the wild woman archetype, transition, identity, spirituality, ritual, healing and growth. I employ elements of printmaking, painting, embroidery, weaving and adornment techniques in my pieces, to create an altar-like quality in each piece. A collection of latinx iconography and ephemera translated by textile printing, embroidery and beadwork on un-stretched canvas create a layered frame for the central figures, women in solitude among cactus and animal protectors reimagining their worlds armed with ancestral knowledge, altars, and milagros.

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La Huesera/The Bone Woman

Alex Martinez is a visual artist, teacher and first-generation queer Xicana raised in Watsonville, California. She is dedicated to exalting people of color and LGBTQI artist communities through multi-disciplinary learning, collaboration and education. Alexandriamartinez.com www.fokus.org |

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SWSH

Erica Hernandez

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Erica Hernandez was born in Flint, Michigan. She is a photographer and director based in Los Angeles. e-hernandez.com 12 | www.fokus.org


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Fighting Giants

Oba Williams-Cantine [Boom]

“Ma that’s not fog, its smoke”.

The stomps echo through the apartment “What?, what do you mean smoke,” she complex, says as she peers out of the window; suddenly the mothers face is overcome Causing the young boy to stare out if with Dread “Oh my goodness why is it his 11th-floor window, looking down at only raining over the city!” the street below in search of a source The boy squints his eyes in annoyance, for the sound. “No it’s not that either look at closely” the mother and son lean into [Boom] the window pressing their foreheads on the glass. Thunderous smack can be heard, “I can’t see anything,” the mother says followed by the uncontrollable shaking as she cups her hands around her eyes, of the apartment complex. “What am I looking for, you know I can’t “What was that?!” his mother yells, see that far?” walking to the window with a house phone up to her ear. [Boom] “Is someone driving a monster truck out there or some shit?” The cloud of smoke clears out as she She joins the boy in his eagle-eyed scan sees the two large figures that her of the street below. young son told her about ferociously attacking one another; her eyes widen Laughing, the boy sarcastically in disbelief at what she is seeing. responds, “It was probably a giant slap.” Looking off into the distance, his eyes [Boom Boom Boom Boom] land on a peculiar sight of two human-like figures standing amongst Their eyes seemed to be glazed over the city skyline throwing bows. with fury as each of them exchanged blows; each one harder than other, like [Boom] they were playing an extreme game of uncle, Each one refusing to give in to A chill envelopes his whole body as he the immense pain that they felt. stands motionless; struggling to capture With every blow, the mother winces as the attention of his mother as she talks she sees the battered giants struggle to on the phone she turns to see her son keep on their feet, as she looked on in staring off at fog-like haze covering the discomfort. city skyline. “What are you looking at, was there an accident or something”, The battle continued until the sharp she says peering through the screen scream left the mouth of one the giants, covered window. as he fell to the ground crying; the mother burst out of the screen door “N-no”, the boy says in a hushed tone causing the ruined city to turn back into “Then what!” The mother responds still their dirt and concrete covered drivelooking through the large window. way; the two battling titans reverted “That!” the boy says gesturing his head back into her two sweaty and bruised toward the dust covered city skyline. children. “So what some Fog.”

Oba is a 22-year-old college student, currently attending Brooklyn College. Although he is majoring in journalism, ever since he was a child he has wanted to do something that would allow him to use his creativity. www.fokus.org |

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Boys Will Be Boys Cheryl Bowers

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Cheryl Lee Bowers is a photographer and artist originally from East New York, now based in the Ocean Hill part of Brooklyn, New York. Cheryl’s images have the visual drama and artistry of many moods of photography. Her style is unmistakable. 24-mp.com www.fokus.org |

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American Cheese ​Élan Cadiz

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​ lan Cadiz is a North American visual artist whose works are grounded in the domestic and historical imagery and É personal narrative.​​Élan uses various formats of presentation: video, poetry, storytelling, artifacts, print media, photography, sculpture, drawing, painting, illustrations and installation.​​The presentations may differ but remain in constant conversation with each other. elanartist.wixsite.com/elanhiart​ ​ www.fokus.org |

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Spontaneous Accidents Ebony Yizar

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Rope Burn

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Lea Pompey

Lea Pompey is a 35 year old queer woman of color from the Bronx, NY. Her goals are to bring color, provocation and representation to the world. www.fokus.org |

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Brooklyn Burro Christine Stoddard

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Christine Stoddard is a Salvadoran-American artist originally from Virginia. Her photography and poetry book, WATER FOR THE CACTUS WOMAN, was released by Spuyten Duyvil Publishing (New York) earlier this year. worldofchristinestoddard.com www.fokus.org |

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Thank You for reading INSIGHT: PLAY We hope you enjoyed the work shared with you. Read more issues @ www.fokus.org/insight

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