Saatchi's 'The New Black Vanguard' Takes On A Radical New Perspective

Hanging on the walls of the 2nd floor in Kings Road's Saatchi Gallery is a compilation of photographs that challenge western perceptions of black beauty, belonging to those who form the medium's new vanguard. Spotlighting talents from Campbell Addy and Tyler Mitchell to Quill Lemons and Arielle Bob-Willis, the travelling exhibition seeks to write home the truths of radically new perspectives happening between the mediums of photography and art, race and beauty, and gender and power.

Curated by renowned New York critic and curator Antwaun Sargent and supported by Burberry, The New Black Vanguard: Photography between Art and Fashion features 15 international black photographers contributing to a new vision of the black figure in fashion, examining the cross-pollination between art, fashion and culture in the making of images.

'This exhibition is an exploration of this generation's black image-makers who are bringing fresh perspective to photography' commented Sargent. 'Image by image, they have created a loose global network around their art that powerfully centres identity, community and desire. The artists in this show profoundly reanimate the possibilities of contemporary photography.'

Central in communicating the industry's collective change towards inclusion - rather than an outdated model of exclusion - is the partnerships between the spotlighted image-makers and larger fashion houses; relationships that have become less novel and more frequent as the industry begins to wake up to its long line of racism. Included in the exhibit is a space dedicated to works made in collaboration with Burberry, falling under the title New Gazes II, focusing on artists who have paid special attention to reframing and recontextualising the 'black figure' in contemporary culture. Artists referenced in this section include celebrated stylist Ib Kamara's husband Justin French, newly-turned fashion designer Ronan McKenzie, Quil Lemons, Tyra Mitchell (not related to her contemporary also featured, Tyler Mitchell), Kennedi Carter and Joshua Kissi.

The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion will be on show at Saatchi Gallery until 22 January 2022. Fashion historian and SHOWstudio contributor Judith Watt will host a talk with Campbell Addy at the gallery on Friday 20 January, 19:00.