Portraying Black Power Through Afrofuturism
Katia Herrera is a digital collage creative from the noisy city Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
Despite Herrera being a self-proclaimed introvert, her artwork is remarkably loud in a world trying to quiet black voices. With titles like Black Woman, You Own the Moon, Earth Goddess, Forever, and Universe Protector, Herrera’s legacy will be marked by her passion for highlighting the endurance and perseverance of black folks of old and present to contrast the narrative that black skin should only be associated with slavery. Continue reading »
“We Call It A Movement”: Couple Releases Photography Book To Elevate Beauty Standards For Black Kids
Photography is not only about creating an image—in the right hands, it can become a tool for inspiration and especially in this case—empowerment. A husband and wife photography team uses art to redefine the beauty standards for black children and shatter any negative stereotypes of their representation in the media. Atlanta, Georgia-based couple Kahran and Regis Bethencourt are behind CreativeSoul Photography and they’re helping kids to come out of their shells and jump-start their confidence. Continue reading »
An Unusual Art Object – a Giant Black Fox Appeared in Riga, Latvia
A new landmark has appeared in Riga. On one of the walls of Turgenev Street stands a huge black fox. This installation is made of a metal frame and broken hemp ropes by a student of the Latvian Academy of Art as part of an eco-action. Continue reading »
Black Mothers Act Out What Might Be The Future Of Their Sons In The US
Crenshaw Blvd, Ca
Artist Jon Henry started working on his photography series Stranger Fruit back in 2014. What began as a protest against senseless police killings of black people ended up being a lot of other things, too. Most notably, it’s an introspective mirror that allows viewers to examine their own take on the subject. Continue reading »
Cool Vintage Photographs of Young Couple Looking to Get Married at a McDonald’s in 1977
In July 1977, a young couple was looking to get married. The owner of the McDonald’s where the man worked agreed to have the wedding at his restaurant in Cleveland for free. Continue reading »
20 Rare And Beautiful Examples Of Black Women In Fantasy Photoshoots
Fantasy games, books, and movies typically have huge cult followings – and for good reason. Dragons, mythical creatures, and magical locations – what’s not to like? Naturally, fantasy-inspired photoshoots are not an uncommon sight. What’s uncommon, however, is seeing women of color as the models. Continue reading »
“If One Can Anyone Can All You Gotta Do Is Try”: Powerful Art Works Of Faith Ringgold, A Painter, Author And Civil Rights Activist
Faith Ringgold was born Faith Willi Jones in 1930 in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. Her mother, a fashion designer and seamstress, encouraged Faith’s creative pursuits from a young age. Ringgold earned a bachelor’s degree from City College of the City University of New York in 1955. She then taught art in New York City public schools and worked on a master’s degree at City College, which she completed in 1959. Continue reading »
A Private Collection Of 19th Century Photographs Of Black Victorians
A private collection of 19th century vintage photographs owned by writer, photographer and historian, Valerie Wilmer. The collection features a most comprehensive and unique portfolio of ‘cartes-de-visite’ and cabinet cards, particularly rare portraiture of Black Britons. Continue reading »
An Instagram Account Of Fine Art Portraits Of Black People Throughout The Centuries
‘Black Artist Completing A Portrait of Maria Anna of Austria, Queen of Portugal’, oil on canvas by unknown Brazilian artist – date unknown, painted circa early 18th Century.
Acoording to a creator of @centuriesofblackpeopleinart Instagram account: “In response to requests on here I have created an instagram page of Fine Art portraits and depictions of Black people throughout the centuries. Feel free to share at any time. Continue reading »
Benny Harlem And His Record-Breaking Hair
Benny Harlem is not only one of the most successful hair influencers on Instagram, but he’s also a Guinness Record holder, for the world’s tallest high-top fade. Continue reading »
Artist Titus Kaphar Explores ‘UnSeen’ Narratives In Provocative Historic Portraiture
Hanging half loose from its stretcher, a portrait of Thomas Jefferson reveals an image of a black woman behind it. It’s a provocative juxtaposition that raises a question about the relationship between the two subjects. Her hair is covered while her partially shown shoulder and leg are bare. She is brown-skinned with an indeterminable gaze. She evokes both assertion and alarm.
Titled “Beyond the Myth of Benevolence” (2014), the painting by Titus Kaphar was inspired by a Rembrandt Peale portrait of Jefferson made in 1800. Continue reading »
“The Redemption”: Artist Tawny Chatmon Celebrates The Beauty Of Black Hair Through Striking Portraits
“Is there redemptive power in visual arts? Do artists have the ability to control and shift the narrative through their work? These are questions that inform my creative process while creating this ongoing body of work; I believe both to be true. In the same way that literature continues to be a tool for shaping the human psyche, I believe visual arts carry the same ability,” Tawny Chatmon writes.
In The Redemption, photography-based artist Tawny Chatmon (previously) celebrates the beauty of Black hair through a series of arresting portraits superimposed with 24 karat gold flourishes. Continue reading »
“Stolen”: Artist Channels Grief Into Unfinished Portraits Where 1 Year of Life = 1 Minute Of Color
Atatiana Jefferson. 28 years old, 28 minutes of color. Stolen on October 12th, 2019 in Forth Worth, TX.
“Stolen” is a powerful series by artist Adrian Brandon that is dedicated to Black people that were robbed of their lives at the hands of police. Continue reading »
This Artist Paints Portraits Of Strong African-American Women
Tim Okamura is a 51-year-old artist who draws portraits of African-American women representing them in a strong pose. Being half Japanese, the Brooklyn-based artist was much integrated into a large culturally diverse group since he was a little boy. Continue reading »
A Striking Photo Series Of Beautiful Adoptable Black Cats Posing Against A Dark Background
Los Angeles photographer Casey Elise, who previously captured the quiet elegance of adoptable cats who are blind or have limited eyesight in hopes of finding them a new home, has put together another striking photo series in which she posed beautiful and adoptable black cats from West Los Angeles Animal Services and Milo’s Sanctuary against a dark background in ordder to emphasize their unique features and personalities. Just like black dogs, cats with darker coats have a harder time getting adopted, which is why Elise embarked on this project. Continue reading »
Stephen Hawking Celebrated With New ‘Black Hole’ 50 Pence Coin
The British Royal Mint has commemorated professor Stephen Hawking in a new 50p coin, which references the late physicist’s pioneering work on black holes. Continue reading »
“Hail The Dark Lioness”: An Important Series Addressing Identity Politics And Racial Injustice
South African visual artist, activist, and photographer Zanele Muholi took 365 self-portraits for her series titled ‘Somnyama Ngonyama: Hail the Dark Lioness’, to bring to attention the injustices faced by South African people of color. Continue reading »
A Black Cat Interrupted A Football Match And Unsurprisingly Refused To Leave
Over the weekend, the Premier League match between Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers had a short delay as a black cat had wandered onto the pitch – and refused to leave.
The game, which took place at Goodison Park in Liverpool, saw the four-legged spectator wandering around the goal and sidelines. The crowd looked on in delight as none of the players or officials even tried to chase away the feline. Perhaps they all forgot their laser pointers and balls of yarn? Continue reading »
The Extremely Rare Black Leopard Confirmed In Africa For First Time In 100 Years
The creature – which almost has a mythical status – was captured by British wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas, 35, while it was prowling around the plains of Kenya in the dead of night with a full moon looming above. This is the first time that one has been caught on camera ‘properly’ in Africa for 100 years. Continue reading »
5 Year-Old Recreates Photos Of Iconic Women Every Day Of Black History Month
In honor of black history month, a mother and a daughter teamed up to recreate photos of iconic black women.
Back in February 2017, Cristi Jones decided to commemorate the month by dressing her 5-year-old daughter and shared the results on Twitter. While there were so many women worth to mention, Cristi decided to take one photo per day and narrowed down the list to 29 memorable figures. Not only did her daughter had so much fun picking out costumes and dressing up, but she also learned about important black women throughout history. Continue reading »
Black And White Analog Photographs Explore The Serenity Of Long Meandering Roads
Swedish photographer Håkan Strand works with old analog cameras and black and white film to capture landscapes that exude the serenity of a time past. The photographs often center around rural roads and explore the stillness that exists when one reaches the fringes of civilization. His recently published book Silent Moments will soon be available to purchase on his website, where you can find further studies of back roads and long desert highways in landscapes in the US, UK, and throughout Scandinavia. Continue reading »
This Black Guy Drew What It Was Like Being The Only Black Man In A White Office In The 60s, And It’s Worse Than You Think
There’s a lot of drama in the workplace, but probably only a handful of people have experienced it as much as the people of color who started entering predominantly white offices a few decades ago. Tom Floyd was born in Gary, Indiana in 1929 and operated his own advertising firm before working as a designer for the Inland Steel Company. There, his insights on racial dynamics were formed. Continue reading »
How Much Is Your Body Worth On The Black Market?
Organs and tissue are used for millions of transplants and medical products yearly. The traditional path for a transplant is a waitlist, but with thousands of people dying before they make it to the front of the line, some take matters into their own hands. Continue reading »
Turkish Photograher Gül Yıldız Captures Minimal And Atmospheric Black And White Urban Scenes
Gül Yıldız was born in Usak, Turkey. She graduated from Ankara University with an engineering degree. Afterwards she had a degree for photography and videography from Anadolu University as well. Continue reading »
Amazing Black and White Photographs Capture Scenes From Venice Beach In The 1970s And ’80s
Sun-bleached babes, roller skates, cruisers, Vans, campers, corduroy OP shorts… The smell of the ocean, the feel of sand on your feet and the burning of incense bring back the memories of a golden era in Venice Beach. Continue reading »
