31 October 2022 |
This weekend, London’s Saatchi Gallery opened The New Black Vanguard: Photography between Art and Fashion. Curated by writer Antwaun Sargent, the travelling exhibition – now in its third iteration – is a celebration of image-makers working across the African diaspora. The 15 Black photographers featured in the show each reframe representations of the Black body in both fashion and art photography. Be it in the pages of fashion magazines, through fashion advertisements or works that hangs from the walls of the world’s most esteemed galleries.
“This exhibition is an exploration of this generation’s Black image makers who are bringing fresh perspective to photography,” says Sargent. “Image by image, they have created a loose global network around their art that powerfully centres identity, community and desire. The artists in this show profoundly reanimate the possibilities of contemporary photography.”
Featured is Tyler Mitchell – the first Black photographer to shoot a cover for US Vogue – who envisions Black utopias through photographing Black models within idyllic backdrops. Also appearing are Ruth Ossai, whose work is largely inspired by Nollywood films and homemade DVDs, and Quil Lemons, who uses photography to challenge representations of Black masculinity.
Amongst works by Nadine Ijewere, Campbell Addy, Renell Medrano and Danna Scruggs, is a new section to the exhibition created alongside Burberry. The British fashion giant is the exhibition’s sponsor, providing a donation to Saatchi Gallery’s Learning programme which will go on to support exhibition-themed activities which will continue the legacy of The New Black Vanguard. This includes free workshops with local schools and community groups, alongside exhibition tours and the access to Saatchi recourses on and offsite.
Burberry expands on the show with ‘New Gazes II’, an exhibition within the exhibition which celebrates the work of Black photographers and stylists who’ve collaborated with Burberry in recent years. Featuring the likes of Bolade Banjo, Kennedi Carter and Ib Kamara – who worked closely with Riccardo Tisci during his time at the brand – these images re-evaluate the commercial Black image, introducing new, inclusive narratives.
Top image by Kwabena Sekyi. ‘The New Black Vanguard: Photography between Art and Fashion’ is open at the Saatchi Gallery until January 22, 2023.
