There have been many engaging features about visual artists: Vivian Maier. It could be the film medium truly excels when showcasing exceptionally powerful photographs. Now comes a new exceptional case, from creator Yemi Bamiro, chronicling the extraordinary career of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, performer and civil rights advocate who exemplified a unique artistic-political approach.
Alongside his sibling Elombe, he pioneered the expression “Black Is Beautiful” in the sixties by capturing the Grandassa Models in the cultural epicenter: young Black women who became the sensational archetype for aesthetics, moving beyond typical cosmetic products and the predominant Caucasian standard of female beauty.
The Impact of a Revolutionary Slogan
Black Is Beautiful evolved into a transformative rallying cry, an visionary memorable prose poem for change. Merely to assert that African Americans were beautiful became a empowering force in society, activism and the arts. The artist emerged as part of the social justice global Black movement by photographing the sports icon before his legendary Rumble in the Jungle in the seventies.
He became the exclusive visual documentarian for the band's continental journey, and later assumed the role of the resident artist for the historic Apollo theatre, creating an extraordinary portfolio of African American artists. In collaboration with his brother, he was the driving force behind arranging for the South African leader to speak in New York.
Historical Recognition
The photographer's offspring his namesake is interviewed the their campaign to ensure appropriate credit for his family heritage after he was painfully ignored in the prestigious National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened by the political leader in recent years.
This documentary further reveals the profoundly sorrowful genesis of the photographer's dedication to visual storytelling: the horrendous pictures of the young victim, the adolescent African American lynching victim whose bereaved parent courageously demanded an uncovered casket so the violent nature of racial hatred could not be concealed.
Amidst Sorrow to Hope
Through this image of horror, Brathwaite discovered a form of profound understanding that directed him toward visual representations of aspiration. His photographs were eloquent of celebratory strength and typically not overtly political: he established a new iconography of empowerment upon which activist groups could unite.
This represents an exhilarating record of cultural impact that still empower decades later.
