Laura June Kirsch recently hosted a soft book launch for her book, “Romantic Lowlife Fantasies: Emerging Adults in the Age of Hope.”
On Thursday October 14th, the 13th floor of Neuehouse MSQ transforms into a space of discovery and the setting for a conversation on Joshua Renfroe’s “Black Boy Fly”.
Audience gathering to be seated prior to the conversation on “Black Boy Fly” beginning.
Images of Black men in pointe shoes, shaking hands, playing basketball, exercising, combing their hair, among several other day-to-day tasks fill the room.
“The journey of the Black male is multifaceted, where both trial and triumph intersect on an extreme level. It’s an important story to tell,” says Renfroe. The goal for this project was to showcase the diversity of Black male culture in a 240 page hardcover photography book.
In an in-depth conversation hosted by Black Fashion Fair’s Antoine Gregory delves into what readers could expect when ordering their copy of “Black Boy Fly”. Sitting on a couch in front of a 150+ person audience, Antoine tells Renfroe, “When I ordered and received my copy of ‘Black Boy Fly’ I knew I had to do more for this”.
Renfroe smiles, and thanks Gregory. “Anyone can take a picture. It’s the concept and the post-production that makes it what it is. Those moments bringing out the energy of the subject, those moments creating and dressing it up and then presenting it.”
The conversation takes a turn to Renfroe’s production and creative process. “I mood board and put pen to paper to start. It’s important to surround yourself intentionally with things that inspire you. The day I shoot, I back everything up. And then during the production and editing process, I put on a little RnB or hip hop (whatever fits the mood of the shoot) and take my time in the lab to see what comes to me.”
A few of the photographs from “Black Boy Fly” displayed in poster format.
It’s almost important to note that Renfroe is not technically trained. That’s right. After only a year of photography experience – all self-taught – Renfroe launched into creating “Black Boy Fly”. His journey started when he moved to NYC after college in Tuskegee, Alabama. “I used to go to SoHo and just people watch. It was so glamorous and fashionable that I knew I wanted to shoot streetstyle. I saved up for a camera and went to SoHo on weekends. The first time I went, I was so nervous that I walked around for fifteen minutes without speaking to anyone.”
Renfroe continues, “It started with me going every weekend, then two days after work, then every day after work. My curiosity grew and realized what I really wanted to do was something timeless.”
So began the story of “Black Boy Fly”. “I couldn’t wait for someone to give me an opportunity. I knew I needed to create this space for myself,” says Renfroe. “The way I wanted to do this was with printed work. It had always fascinated me.”
Why “Black Boy Fly”? “I knew I needed to create something showcasing Black male culture. We should be the ones telling our stories, conveying our culture. Black people are the most influential group but the most oppressed group.”
The audience snaps in agreement.
A few of the photographs from “Black Boy Fly” displayed in poster format.
That’s not to say that Renfroe wouldn’t change a thing about his completed project. “I would have added more literature,” says Renfroe. “I also would have loved to shoot with my father. I just want to create more space for Black men. I would have also loved to capture more of the diaspora. Most of this shoot was NYC based.”
Regardless, Renfroe is content – for now. “Making this book was one of the best decisions of my life,” declares Renfroe. “I didn’t know this type of happiness existed.”
“What’s next on the agenda?” Gregory asks, as they bring the conversation to a close.
Renfroe thinks for a moment and smiles before saying, “Black Girl Fly. That’s the next move.”
Where do we draw the line between love and happiness? Or do we? A few things that fill my soul… 1) love — for myself and for others, 2) a warm cup of masala chai, and 3) the fast-paced, powerful energy of the New York Streets. Cue Annika Sharma — writer, @thewokedesi podcast co-host, and current New Yorker. This south Asian female author is bringing Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words (LCAOFLW) to us in 384 pages, all from the comfort of our own homes.
An exhibition dedicated to the American fashion photographer is now on display in NYC.
On Saturday, September 11th, -CIDE presented their latest collection at 433 Broadway St, NY on NYFW.
Laudia Yambala is on a roll with her jewelry brand: Yambala Designs.
Ornate floral displays hanging from the ceiling and spiraling around the column in the middle of the central bar passed appetizers that celebrate modern twists on classic flavors, beautifully detailed backgrounds on each of the drinks on display: this is the setting you’re greeted with when you walk into Fleuriste St Germain.
We took the ferry over to Governor’s Island last Friday evening for a night of art films showcased by New Art Dealers Alliance at their third edition of NADA House. Amidst other groups of art lovers sprawled out on picnic blankets, we settled in on NADA’s lawn to watch the short film collections as dusk fell upon the island.
New Art Dealers Alliance, or NADA, is a collaborative group of professional artists working on contemporary art and hoping to foster a community-oriented dialogue throughout the art industry. Some of their goals are to make contemporary art more accessible to the public, and to nurture growth of emerging artists by opening doors to new opportunities. NADA House, their installment on Governor’s Island, does exactly that. From May 8th to August 1st of this year, NADA House showcases “gallery presentations in over 50 rooms in three neighboring turn-of-the-century colonial revival buildings” and is open to the public. This year’s collection focuses on the complex colonial history of Governor’s Island, through auditory, sculptural, and traditional visual artwork.
Their film program last Friday featured video screenings from artists Alejandro Almanza Pereda (anonymous gallery), Michael Portnoy (anonymous gallery), Tako Taal (Patricia Fleming Gallery), William Scott (Creative Growth Art Center), Laida Lertxundi (Emma Leigh Macdonald), Rose Nestler (Projet Pangée) and Evan Mast (Brackett Creek Exhibitions). The first film was a parody of medication TV ads, taking more than a few dark turns. The second was an eerie montage of trash, appearing to be filmed in a single take, and ended on a still shot of a motorcycle. The third film, “On the Meaning of Gossip” highlighted how the term gossip has been used to degrade women over the course of history, through an auditory explanation with a backdrop of hands playing cat’s cradle, colorful mouths speaking to each other, and psychedelic colored flowers. The fourth film focused on a birthmark potentially becoming dangerous, and signaled time passing. The fifth film consisted of different city shots and a man dressed as Darth Vader sitting in a tree surrounded by pigeons. The sixth was a long feature of fruits balancing on a tightrope, falling either up or down slowly, reminiscent of a still life painting. Finally, the last film, “Footnotes to a House of Love” featured couples in a desert landscape and base players striking different notes.
Each film conveyed a certain tone and meaning to the audience, some more clear and rigid and others loosely open to interpretation. After the screening concluded, guests clambered back onto the ferry for the last ride back to Manhattan, their thoughts ripe with decoding the films’ messages.
Celebrity photographer, Sam Dameshek, is gearing up to release his coffee table book Yours Truly that will be a one-of-a-kind page-turner featuring the most iconic names in the industry.
A gallery-like no other.