An Exclusive Look At The Museum of African Diaspora's Fashionable Photography Showcase

This fall, the Museum of the African Diaspora showcases the work of 15 fashion photographers who examine everything from race to beauty to gender.

Nadine Ijewere, “Joy as an Act of Resistance” (2018)

American artist Tyler Mitchell, the first Black photographer to shoot a cover for American Vogue in 2018 (yes, Beyoncé), often photographs his subjects in lush, otherworldly tableaus. They brim with color, as if dropped into a Hollywood Never-Never Land. To Mitchell, the setting is a kind of Black utopia, free of discrimination. “To convey Black beauty is an act of justice,” he says.

Stephen Tayo, “Lagos, Nigeria” (2019)

Mitchell’s daring work—and the powerful images of 14 other Black photographers—is part of The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion at the Museum of the African Diaspora this fall. Visitors will find the work of contemporary fashion photographers from London, Lagos, New York and Johannesburg, among other far-flung spots worldwide. Groundbreaking artists include Campbell Addy, Arielle Bobb-Willis, Micaiah Carter, Awol Erizku and Nadine Ijewere, among others. There are more than 100 photos in the show.

“The works in this exhibition signal a dramatic and long-overdue transformation taking place in fashion and art today, one driven by the bold vision of a breakout group of Black creatives who are stewarding the representation of the Black figure in the marketplace,” says Monetta White, MoAD’s executive director. “The stunning images and the compelling narratives they construct vividly claim space on the world stage for a Black aesthetic.”

Jamal Nxedlana, “Johannesburg” (2019)

Beyond the beauty inherent in each photograph, the images in the exhibit serve as a form of social activism. Chicago-born Dana Scruggs, the first Black photographer to shoot a cover for Rolling Stone in 2019, often trains her camera on dark-skinned models, musicians and celebrities—a marked recalibration of beauty’s ever-changing boundaries. Adrienne Raquel, a photographer based in New York, usually depicts scenes of unapologetic glam, including recent portraits of Lizzo. “I live for capturing our beauty, our attitude, delicacy and regality,” says Raquel.

Micaiah Carter, “Adeline in Barrettes” (2018)

LGBTQ photographic representation is also challenged in the exhibit. Lagos-based Daniel Obasi focuses his work on disempowered individuals in Nigeria, solidifying the significance—and the mere existence—of queer and feminine communities. “My subjects are seen as beautiful, seductive and, in some cases, otherworldly, as a way of transferring significance and authority to minorities who are victimized or often ignored within my society,” he says. Patrons also will see striking photos from Quil Lemons, a Brooklyn-based photographer whose 2017 Glitterboy series explores gender, beauty and masculinity in Black communities. Set against pink backdrops, the photos show Black men with their faces showered with glitter. “The images are advocating, illuminating and cementing others’ existence,” says Lemons about the coming-of-age autobiographical work.

Campbell Addy, “Adut Akech” (2019)

Above all, the exhibit is about the evolution of beauty and how the world measures it. There’s plenty of cross-pollination here—art, fashion, music and culture—and the show recognizes how the interplay among these worlds ultimately creates more openness and acceptance. This fall, it’s a visual ride worth taking. Oct. 5-March 5, 2023, 685 Mission St., 415.358.7200, moadsf.org