New Urbanite Ezine Feature: Fine and Dandy
Dandy Lion: Articulating a Re(de)fined Black Masculine Identity creates new, positive stereotypes of young black men based on sartorial fashion. by Cara Ober
According to Oscar Wilde, one of the world’s most notorious dandies, “One should either be a work of Art, or wear a work of Art.” Also known as a beau or gallant, the dandy is the subject of a new exhibit titled Dandy Lion: Articulating a Re(de)fined Black Masculine Identity at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. The exhibit features work by a global selection of emerging photographers that depict nattily attired black men, a direct challenge to the popular stereotypes of black male athletes, rappers, and thugs.
In Dandy Lion, curator Shantrelle P. Lewis has created a balanced exhibit that outwardly mirrors the theme of the show. The gallery is punctuated by boldly colored accent walls and giant, pixilated dandy cut-outs mounted directly on the wall. A range of approach and style abounds—from theatrical, staged, fashion-inspired images to documentary-style street photography, with a mix of traditional photographs, digital photography, assemblage, video, and sound.
Despite the broad scope, the exhibit is organized coherently, with a chronological, seamless viewing experience as the goal. Each photographer’s work is grouped homogeneously and includes anywhere from one to twenty prints, with sizes ranging from tiny and intimate to large and intimidating. Along with each section, each photographer is given a wall plaque with a short biography and quotation about the project, which is a smart way to encourage viewers to relate to the work and to understand the individual artist’s unique concepts for the show. The quotations, especially, provide a solid, multi-faceted way to approach to the exhibit, presenting a number of differing ideas and opinions about the black dandy phenomena.
Some of the most extreme and theatrical images greet you at the beginning of the exhibit, as part of the Global Dandy section. Each of Nigerian photographer Iké Udé’s grid of four, large color images features an elegantly draped model in a studio, wearing a combination of African cloth, British hounds tooth couture, and all manner of elaborate hats, including turbans and caftans decorated with flowers. Daniele Tamagni’s images are no less dramatic, despite being shot in populated urban streets of Brazzaville, a city in the Republic of Congo. In Willy Covari, Brazzaville, 2008, the subject strides down a busy street, chomping on a cigar, practically glowing off the page in a hot pink suit, red tie, red bowler hat, and a pale pink shirt. Contrasting mightily with the earth-toned background, Willy Covari is confident, masculine, and stands out aggressively from his environment. In Nintsikelelo “Lolo” Veleko’s images from South Africa, the models wear bold colors, multiple patterns, skirts over pants, and heavy makeup. Of all the images in the exhibit, Lolo’s most obviously pair feminine and masculine fashion (some of his models appear to be women); her photographs approach the project from a perspective which challenges ideas about gender within the dandy phenomena.
As you move throughout the exhibit, certain trends emerge: suspenders, starched collars, elaborate neckties, jodhpurs, and a plethora of hats. Jewelry, embellished patterns, and bold color combinations all strive to break the current rules of fashion, presenting young, elaborately dressed black men who appear ready to recite poetry, play polo, or drink champagne. Some photographers use the exhibit as an opportunity to examine colonial and post-colonial relationships, combining fashion of the oppressor and oppressed together. Others choose a formal route and emphasize the inherent beauty, nobility, and intelligence found in each individual model. Either way, the dandies depicted effectively defy the norm of baggy pants and Air Jordans. These men stand out from the crowd and are proud to do so.
Russell Frederick, a photographer based in Brooklyn, New York, presents medium and large format black and white images of men posed against urban backgrounds in plaid pants, derby hats, and tennis sweaters. In his quote, he explains that he dressed his subjects the way he dresses, and says, “Not all dandies are gay or nerds. Showing young boys and different communities a cool alternative on how to be creative, masculine, and stylish simultaneously is something I am committed to.”
Jai Lindsay’s multifaceted portrait, Billy Colbert, 2011, is a large color photo of the D.C.-based artist standing on train tracks holding five vintage suitcases. Lindsay achieves a timeless effect by shooting with an old camera and dressing his model in a fashion reminiscent of an earlier time. The image is an interesting conundrum: Its composition is a contemporary construct, made by overlapping four digital images, which contradicts the archaic style of the image.
Filmmaker Terence Nance contributes two short digital films to the exhibit. In Black Beau, he employs an existential standpoint to explore “what a dandy is and is not.” Framed as an archaic educational film, Nance shot the footage on an 8 mm camera to reinforce the aesthetic. The film layers bold statements in all-caps text (“A DANDY KNOWS A WELL CUT FONT”) with simple, animated patterns and footage of good-looking, well-dressed black men. Overall the pieces come off as humorous, lyrical, with an nostalgic, early MTV feel and flow.
Sometimes the quotes from the participating photographers are more interesting than their images. Akintola Hanif’s images of a man wearing an elaborate suit and necktie, standing in a rubble-filled mining yard, seem more appropriate for a Vogue or GQ fashion spread than a museum exhibit. However, his quote explaining the shoot illuminates his own ambivalence toward the concept. “Until recently I’d written this style off as pretentious, metrosexual, and unnecessary,” he explained. “About a year before taking part in this exhibition, I started to notice nuances in this style that I appreciated. I even switched my style up a little, remembering ‘the importance of being (masculine but still) elegant.’ ”
Overall, Dandy Lion is a bold, colorful, feel-good exhibit. It challenges many negative stereotypes and encourages viewers to see young black men as creative, sensitive, and beautiful. The greatest strength of the show lies in the interesting variety of individuals depicted. Some models are gorgeous on a professional level, but many are regular looking men, handsome because each has been groomed and dressed with creativity and dignity. All the dandies in this exhibit communicate cultural awareness, confidence, sexual prowess, and intelligence. They all communicate that they take pride in their appearance, that they’ve thought about how they want to represent themselves, and do so in a thoughtful way.
This exhibit is appropriate for adults and children across a cultural and socio-economic spectrum. However, one issue is largely ignored. In an exhibit all about fashion, it seems reasonable to address the large percentage of gay men who work as models, stylists, fashion designers, and photographers in the industry and present them as the positive role models that they are. While this issue is hinted at in a few works, it is never directly acknowledged. As a result, the exhibit avoids political controversy, but misses an opportunity to directly challenge culturally held assumptions about many of the men responsible for fashion as we know it.
