History has seen numerous fascinating features focusing on visual artists: Martin Parr. It could be the documentary format particularly shines when showcasing exceptionally powerful still images. Here arrives one more outstanding instance, directed by filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, chronicling the remarkable professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, performer and civil rights advocate who exemplified a special politico-aesthetic vision.
In partnership with his family member Elombe, he virtually invented the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the 1960s by photographing the Harlem models in Harlem: emerging African American women who transformed into the sensational archetype for aesthetics, abandoning typical grooming practices and the usual white standard of female beauty.
The Power of Three Words
The iconic phrase transformed into a powerful rallying cry, an brilliant three-word manifesto for transformation. Merely stating that black people radiated beauty emerged as a liberating influence in culture, politics and creative expression. The artist grew into a key figure in the social justice African diaspora cause by photographing the legendary boxer prior to his historic Zaire bout in that era.
He was appointed the exclusive visual documentarian for the musical group's African tour, and subsequently was named the resident artist for the historic Apollo theatre, building an incredible archive of African American artists. In collaboration with his brother, he was the central figure behind bringing the anti-apartheid icon to speak in Harlem.
Family Legacy
His son the younger Brathwaite shares the their campaign to achieve appropriate credit for his family heritage after he was hurtfully ignored in the prestigious cultural museum, opened by the political leader in this century.
This documentary further reveals the deeply tragic genesis of the photographer's passion for visual storytelling: the horrendous images of the young victim, the adolescent civil rights murder victim whose mourning family member defiantly insisted on an uncovered casket so the brutal truth of racist violence would not be covered up.
Through Darkness to Beauty
Through this image of horror, Brathwaite encountered a form of profound understanding that led him toward images of beauty. His images were eloquent of celebratory strength and frequently nuanced in approach: he developed a innovative symbolic representation of strength upon which political movements could mobilize.
It is an captivating record of creative genius that persists in resonate through the years.
