We have witnessed many compelling films highlighting visual artists: Vivian Maier. Perhaps cinematic storytelling particularly shines when presenting exceptionally powerful visual compositions. Today we have one more exceptional instance, by filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, documenting the impressive career of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, musician and African American activist who embodied a distinct artistic-political perspective.
In partnership with his brother Elombe, he virtually invented the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” during the 1960s by photographing the Grandassa Models in the cultural epicenter: emerging African American women who transformed into the sensational archetype for beauty, rejecting traditional beauty standards and the predominant Eurocentric model of womanhood.
The Influence of a Simple Phrase
Black Is Beautiful became a radical rallying cry, an inspired concise prose poem for change. Just declaring that people of color possessed beauty became a liberating force in society, activism and creative expression. The artist grew into part of the social justice African diaspora cause by capturing images of Muhammad Ali leading up to his iconic Zaire bout in that era.
He was appointed the official visual documentarian for the musical group's African tour, and later was named the resident artist for the historic Harlem venue, assembling an extraordinary archive of black musicians. In collaboration with his brother, he became the key organizer behind bringing the South African leader to appear in Harlem.
Family Legacy
The photographer's offspring his namesake recounts the family's mission to achieve appropriate credit for his parent's achievements after he was hurtfully ignored in the prestigious National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened by the former president in 2016.
This documentary further reveals the profoundly sorrowful genesis of the photographer's dedication to image making: the shocking photographs of Emmett Till, the teenage Black murder victim whose mourning family member defiantly demanded an open coffin so the brutal truth of bigoted brutality might not be hidden.
Amidst Sorrow to Beauty
In this representation of violence, the artist found a form of profound understanding that directed him toward images of beauty. His images were eloquent of empowering beauty and typically subtle in messaging: he curated a new symbolic representation of strength upon which political movements could unite.
This represents an captivating chronicle of creative genius that continues to resonate decades later.
