History has seen countless engaging films about visual artists: Tish Murtha. Perhaps the film medium particularly shines when showcasing remarkably striking photographs. Here arrives another outstanding instance, from creator Yemi Bamiro, documenting the remarkable professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—a photographer, artist and African American activist who exemplified a special artistic-political approach.
Together with his brother Elombe, he pioneered the slogan “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the mid-century era by documenting the Grandassa Models in New York: emerging Black women who transformed into the sensational template for visual appeal, abandoning conventional cosmetic products and the predominant white model of femininity.
The Influence of a Revolutionary Slogan
This powerful statement became a radical unifying message, an inspired three-word prose poem for progress. Just to assert that black people possessed beauty proved to be a liberating influence in art, social movements and creative expression. The artist became part of the civil rights global Black struggle by documenting the sports icon leading up to his legendary Zaire bout in that era.
He served as the exclusive visual documentarian for the band's African tour, and eventually became the official visual chronicler for the legendary cultural institution, building an amazing portfolio of black musicians. Together with his sibling, he was the central figure behind securing the anti-apartheid icon to speak in the community.
Historical Recognition
The photographer's offspring Kwame Jr is interviewed the family's quest to secure appropriate credit for his parent's achievements after he was painfully overlooked in Washington DC's National Museum of African American History and Culture, inaugurated by Barack Obama in 2016.
This documentary further reveals the inexpressibly painful genesis of the photographer's interest in visual storytelling: the shocking photographs of the lynching martyr, the teenage African American murder victim whose grieving mother defiantly insisted on an uncovered casket so the horrific reality of racist violence could not be concealed.
Amidst Sorrow to Beauty
From this representation of violence, the artist discovered a form of anti-epiphany that guided him toward images of aspiration. His images were eloquent of community pride and often subtle in messaging: he curated a innovative symbolic representation of empowerment around which activist groups could unite.
This represents an exhilarating record of creative genius that persists in inspire decades later.
