"When I have a camera in hand, I want to capture the moments where shadows give way to light and allow us to see," says photographer Thierry Laurence, whose black and white portraits can be seen at Elegba Folklore Society's Cultural Center in Richmond, Virginia as part of the city's First Fridays Art Walk. Thierry Laurence's photographs are a part of a series titled Body as Art. Body as Art is born out of two separate projects, WET: An Exploration of Water and Light and a collection of portraits. Together, the two projects form this photographic series which is a celebration of the Black male body that "explores beauty, strength, vulnerability and sensuality" through examining angles, light and water on various parts of the body.
While photographing the models, Laurence realized:
Dark skin is more contrasting and absorbs light making it more dramatic. Light skin reflects light and cast less shadows making it less dynamic. My aim with this project is to show what I see of the black male, what is beautiful, artful, strange, mysterious or even different. But, with all of these aspects, they make up the whole person trying to fit into a place in society and even his own race.
Laurence developed an interest in photography while studying it as an elective at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. After discovering the prohibitive costs of photography, Laurence, a Richmond native, went on to study dance at Virginia Commonwealth University. Upon relocating to New York City, the singer/actor/writer performed nationally and internationally in a number of theatrical productions including Five Guys Named Moe, Hair and West Side Story. While living in Atlanta, Laurence rediscovered his love for photography using his background in dance, theater, design and a passion for artistic expression.
Body as Art is a discovery of the body's landscape, form, texture and shape as art.
Richmond's First Fridays Art Walk is one of the largest monthly cultural events in the nation, drawing an estimated 20,000 people from around the state and the nation. Held the first Friday of each month, the event features art exhibitions, crafts, music, and poetry readings by local artists that can be seen at venues throughout downtown Richmond. In addition to First Fridays Art Walk, Thierry Laurence's Body as Art will be on exhibit through January 31, 2014 at Elegba Folklore Society's Cultural Center, 101 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia. To find out more information about the exhibition visit this website: www.efsinc.org.
Below is a photograph from the Body As Art exhibition.
Sandra Kwesi Cameron is a writer who lives in New York City. She has reviewed The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC) for nytheatre.com.