BlacKosity Magazine

This is a shot for the Fame Monster Deluxe Album artwork booklet. Dope work by photographer Dave Chapelle. I find myself lost for words as I look at all the pictures. I then ask myself, what is the artistic vision behind this shoot?

This shoot depicts Kanye West carrying the eccentric Lady Gaga.  This is an eclectic piece of artwork, but I think there is a deeper meaning to the photo. Like, why is this man holding this chic with a volcano behind him in the jungle barefoot?

This past Sunday acclaimed & highly sought after photojournalist Akintola Hanif  opened the doors to HYCIDE his visual mutltimedia studio, displaying & debuting his “Fear Less” exhibit as well as screening his two films “Moral Panic: More Heat than Light” & “Freedom or Everybody Dies” . Akintola Hanif says, “I spent years looking for a location and then renovations and funding…. But it’s worth it. HYCIDE is my sanctuary, my place to plan and work. I’m looking forward to just creatively going in” says the Brooklyn, New York native. Nestled in a building which serves as a creative home to artists of various mediums & genres, the opening of HYCIDE studio will undoubtably present new opportunities and growth for this young artists’ career.

With a style that transcends photojournalism Akintola Hanif completely blurs all distinction between anthropologist and artist. While the diversity of his portfolio suggests Hanif can take ‘pretty pictures’ for now he seems defiantly resolved to focus his lens on the slum Othellos’, the tragic and the beautiful. Fear and death collide with freedom and life in Hanif’s striking, deeply personal collection of works. Few can capture pure despair and hope with as much beauty, respect and truth.

- Ndada Vaz

“Akintola represents a new generation of photo documentarians. His images are both thought provoking and captivating. Each photograph tells a unique story reflecting life in urban America. Devoted to the upliftment of inner city youth, Akintola uses his camera as a tool to communicate with the young people who are often despised and rejected by mainstream society. His photo and film documentaries should be required study for parents and socially conscience citizen alike, to better understand the plight of young and misunderstood people today.” -Jamel Shabazz Photographer, Author of Back in the Days and A Time Before Crack.

“Much like Gordon Parks, Jamel Shabazz and other lens legends before him, Hanif no doubt represents the next generation of truly talented photographers. Honest, introspective and gripping, his razor sharp imagery bears testiment to the beauty, and the beast that is inner-city America.”  -Koe Rodriguez, Visual Artist & Hip-Hop Documentarian

For more information on Akintola Hanif, you can check him out at www.akintolahanif.com & www.hycide.com

 

 

The 2nd Annual Newark Art Parade TODAY

Newark youth and community celebrate art in downtown Newark, NJ

The Barat Foundation and Newark Arts Council invite you to join local youth, organizations and businesses at the second annual Newark Art Parade. Watch from the sidelines or join in the fun as handmade Animodules march down Broad street today. Each piece of portable art has been produced by locals including teams from Floyd Little’s Athletic Clinic, Newark Boys Chorus, Central High School, Newark Vocational High School, Slam Dunk the Junk, NJ Clean Communities, the YES Center, and the Shabazz High School band.
Under the creative leadership of Terry and Anne McKnight of The Barat Foundation, each module will march proudly down Broad Street today at 4:30 PM to herald the opening of the citywide Open Doors Art Festival.

When:
Friday, October 23, 2009
4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
Where:
The Barat Foundation Art & Media Center
765 Broad Street 1st Floor (entrance on Bank St.)
Newark, NJ 07102

“We invite you to come visit our magical workshop, where the young people of Newark are working together side by side with artists, volunteers, and representatives of the business community, to create a Newark tradition that the city and her children will look forward to year after year,” added Chandri Barat.
The Barat Foundation Art Gallery will feature an art show, “Art as a Portal,” including world renowned local and international artists for the Newark Open Doors Art Festival.
The grand opening is scheduled for 6:00pm on October 23rd, immediately following the parade.
For media inquiries please contact The Brickerati at (862) 220-9340 or info@brickeratigreen.com.

Jerry Gant is the artist commissioned by The Trust for Public Land to develop metal sculptural pieces that adorn five entrance plazas of the newly constructed Nat Turner Park in Newark , NJ.  Nat Turner Park is the largest city-owned park in Newark, New Jersey. The strong public presence of his work can serve to promote those values, traits and strengths necessary to counteract the overwhelmingly negative social and media messages aimed at the very audience for whom The Nat Turner Park is constructed.   

The essence of Jerry Gant’s artwork is about a cultural and spiritual renewal. Through his work he gives new meaning to the traditional and new life to the found and discarded. Jerry’s long list of accomplishments span the literary, performing and visual arts boasting numerous solo projects and group exhibitions, as well as outstanding critical reviews and awards. 

 

Jerry Gant is a multi-faceted visual artist and performance poet.

A native of Newark, NJ, Jerry has been a fixture of the Newark arts and cultural scene for more than 20 years. With a strong commitment to continually evolve, Jerry creates visual works in canvas, metal, wood, fabric and wire. Whether creating an art installation, mentoring young artists, designing clothing or performing, all of Jerry’s activities and creations can be seen as a single unified expression of his perspective. The viral quality of his imagery allows it to move between the street and the gallery. Visitors to his exhibitions immediately recognize design motifs they may have seen on the back of a jacket or on the side of some building years before.

Jerry Gant has become synonymous with the visual imagery and reflections of the human spirit conveyed through his work, which truly reflects the faces of the city. Before they know the artist’s name – they know the faces and are moved by them. Jerry’s signature murals and metal sculptures can be found in large urban centers including Newark, New York City, Boston, and London England.

Check Jerry’s work out at  www.aeroblues.com