Radical Elegance
Radical Elegance March 24th - May 26th, 2021
Elia Alba Albany Andaluz Renee Cox Lelanie Foster Maroon World (Travis Gumbs & Cynthia Cervantes Gumbs) Ariella Imena Carlita Lopez Fabiola Jean-Louis Wilfredo Suárez Demi Vera Curated by Yelaine Rodriguez
Curator Statement
The photographers in Radical Elegance are subverting and actively challenging fashion photography as a genre, the elitist practices in the field, and the historical, technical, and stylistic approaches by creating their own. The photographers here are taking charge of their narratives, documenting their communities, and shedding light on Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) cultures. They are capturing the tranquility and exuberance of BIPOC life: communities that historically mainstream publications erase from fashion’s purview. In doing so, they are radically reshaping the discourse within studio and street photography, bringing visibility to vernacular cultures.
While fashion photography dates to the mid-nineteenth century, it gains popularity in the early twentieth century as an advertising tool, as fashion increasingly becomes more accessible to the public. Historically fashion photography as a practice and genre is grounded on fantasy and unattainability for only the privileged of society, while excluding Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Fashion photographers often favor the elites and socialites as their muse, a trend that continues today. This preference cemented in the early days of fashion photography reflects the inequities within our community and illustrates the deprivation of BIPOC participation in society. The two leading advocates of fashion photography being Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, beginning in the 1900s, took one hundred and twenty-six years to hire the first Black fashion photographer. Together, the photographers in Radical Elegance push the boundaries generated by dominant narratives in mainstream media to a place where vernacular cultures and high fashion co-exist. Their work presents the intersections and overlapping realities of hybrid cultural identities. Employing photography as a storytelling and community-building tool, these artists examine through a political lens the development of Black and Brown fashioned identities. They highlight the beauty and style of BIPOC communities while simultaneously rejecting the historical colonial gaze that has overwhelmingly shaped the visual production of these marginalized communities on a global scale. The photographs in the exhibition have a nostalgic sentiment. They bring forth cultural references within BIPOC cultures, reimagined through the perspective of the fashion photographer. This virtual exhibit puts this collection of
works in conversation with the archives, demonstrating how the diaspora creates a cultural language of its own. Collectively they address discussions of beauty and style, identity and race, and sexuality through gendered images. For example, the series Estilo Propio (2018) by Bronx-based Dominican photographer Carla Lopez presents a woman adorned with pink rolos (hair curlers) and bright colored bodega flowers. Here, the subject and her rollers become a symbol frequently regarded as a fundamental Dominican act of self-fashioning, similar to Washington Height’s own Dominican performer Maluca in her music video “El Tigeraso” (2009). The rollers are not viewed as an oppressive item from gendered beauty standards, but as a cultural marker and identifier. Like the rolos within Dominican beauty shops, the durag regularly takes center stage amongst Black men as representations of pride. Within one of the wedding portraits of the collective Maroon World, which was featured in Vogue Magazine, a groom wears a white durag, complementing the bride’s luxuriant Tehuana wedding dress-inspired headpiece. The modern twist to the traditional Tehuana wedding attire alludes to Self-portrait as a Tehuana (1943) by Frida Kahlo, exemplifying the materialization of hybrid cultural identities. The durag, a common style accessory and fashion muse for both men and women in pop culture, has also been used as a political gesture, illustrating the erasure of Black bodies within religion and in high fashion. One of the most notable examples was the Halo-Durag worn by Solange at the Met Gala themed “Heavenly Bodies” (2018). Durags also become a statement of Black resilience and their ability to conceive emblems of their own.
The selected body of works in Radical Elegance demonstrates, through fashion photography, how identities take various forms. Collectively, these photographers document cultural memory, reshaping the narratives around beauty and style. With their stylistic choices and fashioning of Black and Brown diasporic bodies, they are formulating an attainable visual language that mirrors the realities and cultural identity of BIPOC. By centering the community within the frame, they remove the fantasy that makes it unattainable, carving a place for BIPOC to exist. These images speak to the diaspora and bring visibility to these marginalized groups to actively challenge and reimagine the idea behind fashion photography.
Curator Bio Born in The Bronx in 1990, where she lives and works today, Yelaine Rodriguez is an Afro-Dominican United Statesian artist, educator, curator, and cultural organizer. She received a B.F.A. in Fashion Design from The New School (2013) and an M.A. in Latin American and Caribbean Studies / Museum Studies from New York University (2021). Rodriguez conceptualizes wearable art and site-specific installations, drawing connections between Black cultures in the Caribbean and the United States through wearables, video installations, performance, and photography. Her interfaith and intercountry narratives examine identity and race. Rodriguez’s curatorial practice centers on the fundamental contributions of African Diasporic communities. Her latest curatorial projects include “Afro Syncretic” at NYU (2019), “Resistance, Roots, and Truth” at the Caribbean Cultural
Center African Diaspora Institute (2018), and “(under) REPRESENT(ed)” at Parsons (2017). From 2015-2018, Rodriguez realized La Lucha: Dominican Republic and Haiti, One Island, an art collective that explores Dominican-Haitian relations through exhibits, artist panels, and interactive conferences. Rodriguez is the recipient of the Innovative Cultural Advocacy Fellowship from the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (2017), Wave Hill Van Lier Fellowship (2018), The Latinx Project Curatorial Fellowship at NYU (2019), and Bronx Museum AIM Program (2020). She has been included in exhibitions at Longwood Art Gallery, American Museum of Natural History, Wave Hill, Rush Art Gallery, El Centro Cultural de España, and Centro León Biennial XXVII in the Dominican Republic. Rodriguez’s works feature in Artsy, Hyperallergic, Vogue, and Aperture Magazine. Rodriguez is an Adjunct Instructor at the New School and New York University.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Opening Reception - The Young Icons Panel Wednesday, March 24th, 2021, 6:00-7:00pm Featuring guest curator Yelaine Rodriguez and artists in the exhibition, enjoy a lively virtual conversation about these artists’ sources of inspiration and how they merge The Bronx’s aesthetic with high fashion photography. Public Program Wednesday, May 12th, 2021 | TBA Exhibition Closing Wednesday, May 26th, 2021 Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos 450 Grand Concourse at 149th St., Room C-190 Bronx, New York 10451 (718) 518-6728 longwood@bronxarts.org The Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos is currently closed to the public until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Longwood Arts Project The Longwood Arts Project is the contemporary visual arts program of the Bronx Council on the Arts, with the mission to support artists and their work, especially emerging artists from underrepresented groups, such as people of color, the LGBT* community, and women. The Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos presents solo and group exhibitions of works of art produced in various media, through interdisciplinary practices that connect emerging artists, communities, and ideas within and beyond The Bronx.
The Bronx Council on the Arts Founded by visionary community leaders in 1962, The Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) is a pioneer in advancing cultural equity in The Bronx. From our early beginnings as a presenter of affordable arts programming in select Bronx neighborhoods, we have grown into a cultural hub that serves the entire creative ecosystem of the borough. Our programs serve artists, the public, and the field at large by building connections, providing resources, and advocating for equitable practices. Then as now, we focus on supporting the work of underrepresented groups – especially artists of color, women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Through this lens we offer affordable programs for seniors and youth, and provide direct services to over 1,500 artists and 250 community-based arts groups each year. www.bronxarts.org The Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture An integral part of Hostos Community College/CUNY since 1982, the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture, which includes two state-of-the-art theaters of 900 and 360 seats each, a black box experimental theater, and a museum-grade art gallery, is a resource for students and faculty in addition to serving the cultural needs of South Bronx residents and neighboring communities. Recognized nationally as a leader in Latin and African-based programming, the Hostos Center creates performing and visual arts forums in which the diverse cultural heritages of its audiences are celebrated and cultivated. In meeting that objective, the Center is dedicated to the development of emerging artists and the creation of new work. www.hostoscenter.org
LONGWOOD ART GALLERY @ HOSTOS YOUTH ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM Longwood’s Youth Engagement Program, launched in 2018, is designed to engage Bronx youth with the rich visual arts scene that surrounds them. By providing gallery experiences they can relate to – and interactions with artists who reside in the same neighborhoods, share similar cultural identities, and even nations of origin – young people gain formative experiences of cultural engagement that last a lifetime. Activities are free, age-appropriate, and created by professional teaching artists to foster critical thinking, interviewing and public speaking skills. If your organization, school, or group works with youth and would like to discuss scheduling a workshop or to arrange a visit, connect with us ! Contact longwood@bronxarts.org to schedule a workshop for your group. Workshops are best suited for participants ages 14-25. Online workshops are coming soon!
Illustration by Ruben Ramirez
Elia Alba
Born in Brooklyn 1962, Elia Alba is a multidisciplinary artist, who works in photography, video, and sculpture. Her practice is concerned with the social and political complexity of race, representation, identity, and the collective community. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Hunter College in 1994 and completed the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program in 2001. She has exhibited throughout the United States and abroad. Those include the Studio Museum in Harlem; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Science Museum, London; Smithsonian Museum of Art; El Museo del Barrio; ITAU Cultural Institute, São Paulo; National Museum of Art, Reina Sofía, Madrid; and the 10th Havana Biennial. She is a recipient of numerous awards and residencies including the Studio Museum in Harlem Artist-in Residence Program in 1999 and Anonymous Was A Woman Award, 2019. Collections include the Smithsonian Museum of Art, El Museo del Barrio, Lowe Art Museum. Her work has been reviewed by the New York Times, Flash Art, Art Forum, ArtNews to name a few. Her book, Elia Alba, The Supper Club (Hirmer 2019), critically acclaimed by The New York Times, brings together artists, scholars, and performers of diasporic cultures, through photography, food, and dialogue to examine race and culture in the United States. She lives and works in The Bronx and is currently guest curator for El Museo del Barrio’s upcoming exhibition, “Estamos Bien: La Trienal 20/21.”
Right: Elia Alba. Silver Belles (Dulcina), 2019. Diptych, archival pigment prints. 41 x 30 in. each in.
Albany Andaluz Albany Andaluz (b. 1995, The Bronx, New York) uses colloquialisms to draw intersections between Caribbean, Latin American, and American experiences. A life-taught artist, her practice reflects a repurposed, multidisciplinary approach with works that resurrect discarded textiles as mixed-media sculptures, paintings, and photographs to allude to the intersections of conflict, migration, and settlement. Andaluz’s practice examines the psychosocial and socioeconomic shifts that happen during the process of acculturation through the intertwining of techniques sourced from craft, fine, folk, low, and high-brow cultures. Such work has made Andaluz a recipient of residencies, grants, and features with ProjectArt NYC, BronxArtSpace, Joan Mitchell Foundation, Bronx Documentary Center, BronxNet, ArtForum, and Aperture Foundation’s magazine.
Left: Albany Andaluz. moros, cristianos, e indígenos, 2021. Diptych, digital collage
Renee Cox Renee Cox (b.1960) is a contemporary artist known for her bold images exploring societal issues and stereotypes. Frequently using her own body in her work, Cox celebrates and explores the Black female experience while skewering the racism and sexism prevalent in contemporary culture. Born in Colgate, Jamaica, she later moved to Scarscale, NY. She received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts, New York in 1992 and participated in the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Independent Study Program from 1992 to 1993. In her first New York solo show in 1998, Cox established her reoccurring alter-ego character “Rajé,” a powerful figure vibrantly dressed in a superhero costume of the Jamaican flag. Cox is the recipient of the Artists Fellowship Award from the New York Foundation of the Arts, the Chrysalis Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts, and the Aaron Matalon Award from the National Gallery of Jamaica. Her work has been exhibited at many institutions, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; the Smithsonian Museum and Center for African American History and Culture, Washington, D.C.; and TATE Liverpool, Liverpool, U.K., among others. Cox currently works in The Bronx.
Right: Renee Cox. Details of The Signing, 2017
Lelanie Foster Lelanie Foster is a photographer from The Bronx, NY whose work is centered in honoring the strength and beauty of Black and Brown people while encompassing themes of identity, sisterhood, beauty, and community. Foster’s unique perspective and sensitive approach with her subjects allows for imagery that reflects intimately warm and organic moments in a most delicate human way. For the movie Queen & Slim (2019), Foster was handpicked to visually interpret the film through her photography. The resulting visuals serve as a celebratory tribute to Black life and culture. Foster’s projects stretch across the commercial, fashion, documentary, and fine art worlds, and include commissions and publications by Nike, The New York Times, Universal Pictures, Hulu, BET, W Magazine, and Interview Magazine amongst others.
Left: Lelanie Foster. Amelia in Brooklyn for Neu Neu, 2020. Digital photograph
Maroon World (Travis Gumbs & Cynthia Cervantes Gumbs) Maroon World is a creative studio dedicated to celebrating the stories of Black, Indigenous, and communities of color through photo, video, and installation. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Cynthia Cervantes was born in Long Beach, CA. She studied at SFSU, focusing on educational reform, and supporting low-income schools and families. She received her Master’s degree in Hawaii, where she studied the impact of family dynamics on early childhood. Relocating to New York, she continued her work in the nonprofit sector, serving the lowest performing schools in NY. As she transitioned into a creative career, her passion for social justice issues carried over, and in 2016, she co-founded and launched Maroon World, a publishing and creative studio committed to celebrating the lives of Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Born in Basseterre, St. Kitts, Travis Gumbs moved to NYC at the age of twelve. By the age of nineteen, Gumbs had cofounded Street Etiquette, a popular men’s lifestyle website turned Creative Agency. Street Etiquette showcased style using cultural, historical, and urban perspectives. In 2016, he co-founded Maroon World, a publishing and creative studio focusing on speaking to the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
Right: Maroon World. Goldfinger, 2016. Digital photograph
Ariella Imena Ariella Imena is a Black and Puerto Rican artist based in New Jersey. Her interdisciplinary practice includes oil painting, film photography, thrifting, and writing. Imena’s work reflects the personal anecdotes and the neglected beautiful accounts in her community and her family. Imena combines both her artistry and passion for resourcefulness to capture visual narratives of community, spirituality, joy, and healing. Drawing inspiration from her paintings, the vibrancy of thrifting, and reused items found in yard sales and flea markets, Imena structures and styles her film work. Through her work, Imena aspires to continuously bring forth marginalized narratives and use her art to encourage reflection, faith, and healing. Imena seeks to uplift and share the voices of women who are survivors of abuse and domestic violence.
Left: Ariella Imena. Brown Sugar, 2020. Digital photograph
Carlita Lopez Carla Lopez is a first generation Dominican-American photographer and visual artist, born and raised in The Bronx. Her artwork shows her love for her culture and her hometown of NYC with a pop art twist to it. Her art speaks of the Native New Yorker/Bronx Girl experience. With series such as “Bodega Dreams”, “Merengue”, and “Let the Music Play”, she documents nostalgic scenes that are part of everyday life living in NYC. Her mother instilled in her as a child to be knowledgeable about her roots and to never forget where she came from, and she did that by showing her music, teaching her about her hometown of Santiago in the Dominican Republic, and overall giving her pride in being Dominican. Many of her influences come from her upbringing and the melting pot that is The Bronx, but also is heavily influenced by her Dominican heritage which was and still is a big part of her life. In her six years of doing photography and visual art, she has made it her priority to shoot photos and portraits of her everchanging community and the stories that inhabit the people who live there. Her love of music and dance has inspired her photography as well, capturing photos of NYC nightlife and the house music culture/hustle scene that has been slowly dying out in the last few years. Nostalgia is something she holds dear to her heart, and most of her photos bring a sense of familiarity to the viewer and memories of their youth and simpler times.
Right: Carla Lopez. Estilo Propio (series), 2018. Photographic prints on matte Fujifilm paper. 11 x 14 in.
Above: Fabiola Jean-Louis. Amina’s Child, 2016. Archival pigment print. 20 x 20 in.
Fabiola Jean-Louis
Fabiola Jean-Louis was born in Port Au Prince, Haiti on September 10th, 1978 and moved to Brooklyn, NY at a young age. While attending the High School of Fashion Industries, her passion and talent for the arts flourished. Jean-Louis discovered her talent for photography many years later in November 2013 while on a journey of artistic rediscovery. She began taking self-portraits as a matter of convenience, shyness, and because she knew how to convey the stories she wanted to tell. Later, her work grew to include other subjects and costumes, as well as sculptures made entirely out of paper. While her images have been described as “magical and mysterious,” Jean-Louis’s body of work is also that of visual activism as she challenges the hegemony of society. Her love of Afrofuturism, science and science fiction, pre- and postindustrial eras, elves, fairies, and Black history and folklore are also central themes in her work. Her current and ongoing series Rewriting History, a two-part series consisting of period paper gowns and painterly photographs, opened as a solo exhibition last year at Smithsonian affiliates, DuSable Museum of African American History, Alan Avery Art Company, and Andrew Freedman Home to critical acclaim. It also earned her acceptance into the highly sought-after residencies at the Museum of Art and Design (MAD), New York City, and in September 2019 at LUX Museum, San Diego. Jean-Louis was invited to join and participated in a BRIC Media group exhibition, “Bordering the Imaginary: Art from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Their Diasporas.” Her works have been featured in the Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune, Modern Luxury, Artnet News, Art Critical, Hyperallergic, Atlanta Art Constitution, Chicago Sun Times, The Fashion Journal, The Haitian Times, and more.
Wilfredo Suárez Wilfredo Suárez is a Bronx-based awardwinning filmmaker and photographer who has a proven track record for creating compelling and engaging visual content. From vital forward-facing branding identity videos to documentary profiles, Suárez executes with a cinematic eye. After finishing a run at CUNY with second place overall at the 16th Annual BCC Film Festival and multiple AVID & Kodak Directorial & Editing Awards in 2010, he founded Mosaic New York, a new media-focused production collective. Through his work at Mosaic New York, Suárez has produced, directed, and edited work for MTV, Def Jam, Nike, Mark Ecko, Staple, Smirnoff, and Yotel. His photography and video work has been featured on Complex, Mass Appeal, SB Nation, Village Voice, Vice, and Hypebeast to name a few. He is currently in production on multiple documentary web-series for Mosaic New York.
Right: Wilfredo Suárez. Jibaro Santo (series), 2018. Digital photographs. Various dimensions
Demi Vera Demi Vera is a multidisciplinary artist whose work focuses on intimate documentation, safe spaces, and stories exploring individuals’ growth and vulnerability. Born in The Bronx, Vera began her artistic career in darkroom photography and has since explored multimedia adaptations of her work. Vera has spent the past few years compiling her poetry, illustrations, and film photography and is working on her first book of collected work. Vera studied Cultural Anthropology at SUNY Purchase, and alongside her personal work, Vera has worked with the International Center of Photography, Aperture Foundation, and has curated dozens of shows across New York City and the Bay Area, having showcased over 300 artists. Vera has shown in twenty group exhibitions across NYC, Oakland, and San Francisco with features in publications, Mass Appeal, Cypher magazine, and Posture magazine.
Left: Demi Vera, Untitled (Color Series), 2016 Digital photographs
RADICAL ELEGANCE
All works courtesy of the artists unless otherwise noted.
Elia Alba Silver Belles (Dulcina), 2019 Diptych, archival pigment prints 41 x 30 in. each
Elia Alba Purple Haze (Nico), 2019 Archival pigment print 30 x 30 in.
Albany Andaluz moros, cristianos, e indígenos, 2021 Diptych, digital collage
Albany Andaluz hasta con las manchas, 2020 Painting
Renee Cox The Signing, 2017 Photograph, 12 ft.
Renee Cox Details of The Signing, 2017
Lelanie Foster The Waitress, Queen & Slim, 2019 Digital photograph
Lelanie Foster Mitra in Los Angeles, 2020 Digital photograph
Lelanie Foster Trixy in Brooklyn, 2019 Diptych, digital photograph
Lelanie Foster Amelia in Brooklyn for Neu Neu, 2020 Digital photograph
Lelanie Foster Jashly at Home in the Heights, 2018 Digital photograph
Maroon World Goldfinger, 2016 Digital photograph
Maroon World Jesus Loves Me Too, 2017 Digital photograph
Maroon World Kissing You, 2017 Digital photograph
Maroon World Save the Date (Bendiciones series), 2018 Digital photograph
Maroon World Danza de los Viejitos (Bendiciones series), 2018 Digital photograph
Maroon World Resplandor (Bendiciones series), 2018 Digital photograph
Ariella Imena I Too, 2020 Digital photograph
Ariella Imena As, 2020 Digital photograph
Ariella Imena Cherry, 2020 Digital photograph
Ariella Imena In My Grandmother’s Home, 2019 Digital photograph
Ariella Imena Brown Sugar, 2020 Digital photograph
Ariella Imena The Feeling That We Have, 2020 Digital photograph
Ariella Imena Untitled, 2020 Digital photograph
Carla Lopez Andre Veloz (series), 2018 Digital photographs 11 x 14 in. each
Carla Lopez Estilo Propio (series), 2018 Photographic prints on matte Fujifilm paper 11 x 14 in.; 11 x 14 in.; 12 x 12 in.
Fabiola Jean-Louis Amina’s Child, 2016 Archival pigment print 20 x 20 in.
Fabiola Jean-Louis Hispaniola, 2020 Archival pigment print 41 x 29 ¼ in.
Fabiola Jean-Louis Akeema, 2020 Archival pigment print 29 ¼ x 41 in.
Fabiola Jean-Louis Road to Freedom, 2020 Archival pigment print 29 ¼ x 41 in.
Wilfredo Suárez Jibaro Santo (series), 2018 Digital photographs Various dimensions
Demi Vera Untitled (Color Series), 2016 Digital photographs
The Bronx Council on the Arts is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; Arts Midwest and the National Endowment for the Arts; The Coalition of Theaters of Color and City Council members Andrew Cohen and Vanessa Gibson. Also supported in part by the Booth Ferris Foundation, Ovation, the New Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund, Con Edison, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, the Hispanic Federation, the City of New York, and the Department of Youth and Community Development. Special thanks to Hostos Community College and the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture for their support. Bronx Council on the Arts 2700 E Tremont Ave Bronx, New York 10461 www. bronxarts.org @BronxArtsOrg
Cover Image Credit: Renee Cox. The Signing, 2017. Photograph, 12 ft.