Styling: Black Expression, Rebellion, and Joy Through Fashion
Yelaine Rodriguez, Ezili Dantor, Freedom and The African Diaspora, 2018-2010
Photo by Connie Zhou
Enter through the glass doors of Nordstrom NYC on 225 W 57th St, if you are an observer of the finer details, your attention will no doubt be drawn to strategically placed photographs, works of art and stunning fashion as you amble along your shopping journey. These works of art make up a new exhibition. Styling: Black Expression, Rebellion, And Joy Through Fashion, curated by Souleo and presented by Long Gallery.
Styling: Black Expression, Rebellion, And Joy Through Fashion is a sartorial escapade through the multifaceted representations of contemporary Black style and their cultural significance. The exhibition celebrates the legacy of using personal style to channel self-expression, rebellion, and joy as inspired by movements such as the Harlem Renaissance, thus giving substance and expansion to the meaning behind making a "fashion statement."
Willie Cole, Mean Girl, 2016
We’ve seen many styles of masks these last few months, they come in all styles, colours and various shapes, but have you seen a mask made of shoes? New Jersey born contemporary American sculptor, printer and conceptual and visual artist Willie Cole creates masks using shoes as a means of artistic expression and a nod to African culture that is inspired by the Dan-Ngere tribe (spread across Liberia, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Sierra Leone). Throughout history, within Black culture, the use of masks in folklore, cultural identity and personal style is varied and well known, Mean Girl, 2016 taps into the roots of the past, a joining of soles that represent a connection to the Black souls of past, present and future.
Images by Ruben Natal-San Miguel, 2014 - 2020
Ruben Natal-San Miguel, an architect and fine art photographer, captures four stunning images that radiate with color, vibrancy and share the common denominators of diversity, individuality and fashion that is symbolic to Black culture. Vertical and horizontal striped red and black lines create the dashing and debonair suit in the photo Fashion Dandy, 2014. Crochet tube tops and skirts in swirls of colors universal to the LGBTQ community adorn the models in Lili_Miss ALex (Glamourpussies). In the photograph, Not Just Another Vanilla Portrait 2016, the chunky earrings in the shape of handcuffs not only draw the eye's attention but are symbolic of the struggle, oppression and injustice faced by Black people. Miguel’s photographs, individually and collectively, showcase the diversity of Black fashion and how it can be used as a non-verbal means of Vivid representation.
Styling: Black Expression, Rebellion, And Joy Through Fashion, serves as a fashionable visual and tangible aide-memoire of how art imitates real Black lives and showcases the creativity inspired by the Harlem Renaissance.
Other artists in the exhibition include Margaret Rose Vendryes, Afrolipgloss Originals by Ricky The Jones, Beau McCall, Elan Cadiz, Hollis King, EPPERSON, Gregory Gray, Stephen Tayo, Felicia Megan Gordon, Busayo Olupona, Dianne Smith and Anthony Olubunmi Akinbola. Select pieces from the exhibition are available for purchase through Artsy. In addition, a portion of art sale proceeds will benefit the Howard University Art Gallery and student programs.
The exhibition will be available at Nordstrom NYC through October 29.
