War in a Dress

neonvmag:

                                                            “icons re-imagined”

                                       [art, literature + culture: jean-michel basquiat]

which icon did you re-imagine and why?

i re-imagined the art icon jean-michel basquiat. he is the creative ghost that haunts me as a scholar. one of the reasons, besides “the cosby show,” that i began my journey on the post-huxtable theory, is because of his trajectory in the art world and the implications it had in the u.s. artworld on “black art” versus art, and the question that arose on african american/black american culture and social-identity. albeit, the art world still lags behind on this subject almost XXX years later, and the african american/black american community is still discussing the social context of their identity in the u.s. basquiat, was an afro-futurist and very ahead of his time; as well, he was a genius who unapologetic-ally challenged society’s views of theblack body and the spaces the black body could occupy in u.s. culture. check out my open-letter/essay to him here.

 

II. if you could live the life (as you know it) of any visual artist from the MCMLXXX’s or early MCMXC’s, who would it be and why?

this is a very tricky question as a large majority of the visual artists during those time frames had personal lives that i morally disagree with. if i only focused on the artistic side of the life of  andy warhol—i would live his life. he was basically the center of the u.s. artworld and mentored/discovered various creatives. i would also love to see the behind-the-scenes of the factory and peek into the lives of some of my favorite pop people of the MCMLXXX’s such as basquiat, grace, keith, etc, while exploring the vibrant nyc art scene during that time.

 

III. of these three options-a library, central park, or walmart, which would be the ideal place, to you, to engage in public sexual intercourse?

wow, what a question! the girls, the neonV collective, are probably getting a kick out of this public question being asked of me. i am by no means a “prude” yet, i am what most would consider a “very private” person and certainly a germaphobe; so, let me answer this the best way i can. if someone must have sexual intercourse in a public place then i would suggest the following: depending on the library, the carpet has been trampled over for many years with the dirty soles of thousands of pairs of shoes. each book in the stacks has been touched by just as many hands and dusting is never the first of a library’s concerns. central park is an awesome place to hang out; but, there are bugs and rodents and trash left behind by many. walmart is just disgusting…how did it make the list?

 

IV. you have a huge affinity for certain collections: be@r bricks, moleskins, vintage lion jewelry, etc.  if you had to get rid of all your collections except one, which would you choose to keep?  why? 

i am a niche collector versus a hoarder so, the act of making me choose is simply wrong! it would be a very close call between my art collection and my book collection, these are the two collections i would much rather not live without. so, down to the wire, i would keep my book collection because i covet first edition art books when i can; unfortunately, it would have to serve as the art collection too—although, they are not one and the same.

V. art supply or book store and why?

geesh, this is unfair…lol! i would have to choose the art supplies store because they also carry books. yet, if i had to choose just one the world and you girls would hate me because i would go mad. 

 

                                                               I: tanekeya word

                                           [the neonV collective describes I in one word]

II: tanekeya is passionate.

III: tanekeya is majestic.

IV: tanekeya is dope-a-licious.

V: tanekeya is futuristic.

 

photo sources:

jean-michel basquiat 

by andy warhol ©MCMLXXXII the andy warhol foundation for the visual arts, inc.

“tanekeya as basquiat”

photography: kea dupree I: tanekeya word [concept + creative direction], II: stephanie n. mills [brand ambassador [clothing in shoot is in collab w/barneys]] III: carmela wingfield [hair], IV: michelle german [makeup], V: kimee brown [fashion direction] 

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dynamicafrica:

Portraits by Lee Grant of members of the Sudanese diaspora in Australia, one of the fastest growing groups in the country.

dynamicafrica:

AFRICAN PHOTOGRAPHERS: Clic Clac Baby

In 1954, a 22-year-old Ivorian photographer, nicknamed Clic Clac Baby, started taking pictures, quickly setting up a studio in the small town of Adiake, 120km (75 miles) from the then capital city Abidjan.

His photos from that era have only just found a wider audience. A selection of them is currently being shown in Abidjan.

(source)

picturedept:

Sikhs: An American Portrait by Fiona Aboud

This weekend, thousands will attend memorials to the victims of the hate crime that befell the Sikh population of Milwaukee. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Sikhs have been the target of extremist aggression – the first hate crime to occur in the wake of 9/11 was the murder of a Sikh gas station owner.

Fiona Aboud has followed the lives of Sikh families throughout America, to challenge both the prejudicial misconceptions about the community, as well as conventional notions of what it means to be an American.

By showing American Sikhs in their everyday American environments it is a visual metaphor for Americans to start to see Sikhs as American and not as an “other.”

Aboud’s work with the Sikh community is ongoing, and the project was displayed at the Library of Congress in Washington DC, in 2009.

To see more from this series, Sikhs: An American Portrait visit fionaaboud.com.

Members of the House of Saint Laurent, 1990s (taken by Chantal Regnault)

Love these… especially the shots of just Octavia and Temperance.

vizzz:

queer kids in america, m. sharkey

martiansandbowties:

Afronauts by Cristina de Middel

Being a lover of science fiction, this shoot by Spanish photographer Cristina de Middel really intrigues me. It explores afrofuturism, a concept i have grown to love!

Katello Mande