History has seen many fascinating features highlighting photographers: Martin Parr. It could be cinematic storytelling particularly shines when presenting exceptionally powerful still images. Now arrives one more remarkable example, by filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, documenting the extraordinary career of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, performer and social justice champion who exemplified a distinct artistic-political approach.
Alongside his sibling Elombe, he effectively created the expression “Black Is Beautiful” during the 1960s by photographing the African American women in the cultural epicenter: emerging African American women who transformed into the groundbreaking template for visual appeal, moving beyond traditional beauty standards and the established Caucasian ideal of femininity.
The Power of Three Words
This powerful statement became a radical unifying message, an inspired memorable prose poem for change. Simply stating that African Americans were beautiful became a empowering force in art, politics and creative expression. The artist grew into integral to the civil rights global Black struggle by capturing images of the legendary boxer before his legendary championship fight in 1974.
He was appointed the primary image creator for the Jackson 5's continental journey, and subsequently became the resident artist for the historic Apollo theatre, building an extraordinary archive of African American artists. In collaboration with his brother, he was the central figure behind arranging for the South African leader to appear in Harlem.
Family Legacy
His son his namesake recounts the personal campaign to achieve due acknowledgment for his father's legacy after he was painfully ignored in the prestigious Smithsonian institution, opened by Barack Obama in this century.
This documentary additionally explores the profoundly sorrowful inspiration of the artist's dedication to photography: the disturbing photographs of the lynching martyr, the teenage African American lynching victim whose grieving mother defiantly requested an uncovered casket so the brutal truth of racial hatred would not be covered up.
Through Darkness to Beauty
From this vision of violence, the visionary encountered a kind of anti-epiphany that directed him toward visual representations of community. His images beautifully expressed community pride and frequently nuanced in approach: he developed a innovative visual language of pride upon which political movements could gather.
It is an exhilarating record of cultural impact that continues to inspire decades later.
