Opening Reception: Posing Beauty in African American Culture
Opening Reception: Posing Beauty in African American Culture
Posing Beauty in African American Culture examines the contested ways in which African and African American beauty have been represented in historical and contemporary contexts through a diverse range of media including photography, film, video, fashion, advertising, and other forms of popular culture such as music and the Internet. The exhibition explores contemporary understandings of beauty by framing the notion of aesthetics, race, class, and gender within art, popular culture, and political contexts.The exhibition is curated by Deborah Willis, Ph.D. Chair of the Department of Photography & Imaging at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, and travelled by Curatorial Assistance Traveling Exhibitions, CA. Drawn from public and private collections, Posing Beauty features approximately 85 works by artists such as Carrie Mae Weems, Charles “Teenie” Harris, Eve Arnold, Gary Winogrand, Sheila Pree Bright, Leonard Freed, Renee Cox, Anthony Barboza, Bruce Davidson, Mickalene Thomas, and Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe.