We have witnessed numerous engaging features about visual artists: Vivian Maier. Perhaps the film medium particularly shines when showcasing exceptionally powerful visual compositions. Now we have another outstanding example, directed by filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, documenting the extraordinary professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, artist and civil rights advocate who exemplified a distinct politico-aesthetic vision.
Alongside his sibling Elombe, he effectively created the expression “Black Is Beautiful” in the mid-century era by photographing the Grandassa Models in New York: young women of color who transformed into the sensational standard for beauty, moving beyond traditional beauty standards and the established white standard of womanhood.
The Influence of a Revolutionary Slogan
This powerful statement transformed into a transformative rallying cry, an inspired memorable declaration for transformation. Merely declaring that African Americans were beautiful emerged as a empowering power in art, social movements and creative expression. The artist grew into a key figure in the social justice global Black cause by documenting Muhammad Ali leading up to his iconic Zaire bout in the seventies.
He was appointed the primary image creator for the band's international performances, and subsequently assumed the role of the resident artist for the historic cultural institution, assembling an amazing archive of African American artists. In collaboration with his sibling, he became the driving force behind securing the South African leader to address the public in the community.
Personal Journey
His son Kwame Jr is interviewed the their mission to achieve appropriate credit for his parent's achievements after he was unjustly excluded in Washington DC's Smithsonian institution, inaugurated by Barack Obama in recent years.
The feature further reveals the inexpressibly painful origin of Brathwaite's passion for visual storytelling: the disturbing pictures of the lynching martyr, the adolescent African American murder victim whose bereaved parent courageously insisted on an open coffin so the brutal truth of racial hatred would not be concealed.
Through Darkness to Beauty
From this representation of violence, the artist discovered a kind of transformative realization that led him toward visual representations of community. His photographs were eloquent of empowering beauty and frequently not overtly political: he developed a fresh iconography of strength upon which activist groups could mobilize.
It is an exhilarating testament of cultural impact that still empower decades later.
