community – Page 2

An Interview with Sante D’Orazio (Part 1)

Talisa Soto-Bratt, Photo by Sante D’Orazio, 1992

D’Orazio’s world is populated by supermodels, actors, rock stars, and icons. His +30 year career has seen concurrent themes of eternal youth, stunning beauty, and rock and roll. D’Orazio’s portfolio is a mixture of informal and posed – an uncensored and provocative trademark. Since he first shot for Italian Vogue in 1981, D’Orazio’s work has been published in the likes of Andy Warhol’s Interview, Italian, French and British Vogue, Vanity Fair, and GQ among others.

In part 1 of their 3 part interview, Sante D’Orazio and Alexandra Kosloski discuss the artist’s current projects and the emotional connection behind his photographs.

AK: Can you describe what it feels like to make art? What is that feeling to you?

Sante D’Orazio: It’s beyond the feeling; it’s a way of life. I can’t not make. There’s a sense that if I’m not creating, I’m usually destroying. It’s the two sides, the yin and the yang of creativity. I’ve seen it with so many different artists and so many different fields. You get destructive. If you don’t have an outlet, it hurts. Whether it turns inwards and it becomes depression, or it comes out in so many different forms. Once you find the creative form, it’s healthier, but it’s just about finding it. And you need it. It’s life giving or taking.

Geometric painting by Sante D’Orazio, 2021

AK: What is your current studio practice like?

Sante D’Orazio: It varies. Recently, I had to get spinal surgery, and so I couldn’t take pictures. I couldn’t move around– because when I shoot, I move– I bend, I twist, I turn. I couldn’t do that, so I was painting more. The worse it got, the less I could paint. I had to find something else, so I started writing. I’ve always told stories since I was a kid, so I decided to write those stories down, not thinking of any particular narrative. I just wrote stories down and put them away, and when I had enough of them, I put them in some order and I had a memoir. And so I wrote a memoir during the COVID period and the period where I couldn’t walk.

Then the other thing I’ve been doing lately, which I hadn’t done in 40 years, is editing my archive. Let’s say I was doing ten pages for Vogue: they only used ten pictures, yet I shot maybe a thousand. Now, you don’t throw the others away– they’re all good pictures. Some are even better than the ones that they used, but I had to put them away because I’m onto the next shooting, and then the next one after that. When you were shooting at my pace, you didn’t even have time to know if your pictures were any good. And the only time you knew that they were good is when the client didn’t call, because if they did, that means there was something wrong. They never called you when something was right. So you put them away, and move on. And now, I’m finding gems I never knew I had. I remember the shootings, but I didn’t remember the particular images and oh, my God, I can’t believe it. I have a new me through all those images. So, I’m only up to 1993 and I started eight months ago, so you can imagine how much work I have to do.

AK: That sounds like a huge undertaking.

Sante D’Orazio: It’s daunting.

D’Orazio in his studio

AK: Not only the sheer volume of images to filter through, but emotionally, I imagine it’s exhausting.

Sante D’Orazio: Yeah, it is. The other thing that you have to know is that taking the picture is really only half the job– the other half is recognizing it within the edit. No one can edit for you if you’re looking for yourself on an artistic level. On a commercial level, knock yourself out. But on a personal level, I have to edit. I have to find my picture. I think that’s the only reason a photographer– and I’ll speak for myself– has any great success.

You have to connect with your subject emotionally. I do. I make a strong connection with my subject. There’s trust, there’s a bond, and there’s a real closeness that happens. If it appears sexy or sensual, it is, but not on a physical level, it’s on an emotional level. And it ends there. But you really care about each other. And when you see each other again, it’s that same trust and love. I just edited some pictures of Talisa Soto– she was a great model– and I sent them to her and she texted me back, she goes “Sante, I always loved working with you.”

AK: That’s so nice to hear.

Christy Turlington by Sante D’Orazio, 1993

Sante D’Orazio: Yeah, it’s so nice. I always felt the same. And it was that bond that I’m talking about. It’s care, a lot of care.

AK: I was wondering if you could talk a little bit more about that, because there is such a sense of freshness and intimacy in your photographs, even when they’re obviously posed. Do you think that that bond plays a role?

Sante D’Orazio: Big role. Yeah. Guys in general are insensitive when it comes to that, but women seem to see it immediately. That trust stays because I was never a predator. And when they came back, the photographs just picked up again from that moment. And that’s what you see in the pictures.

You see it in their eyes. You just catch the whole feeling as soon as you meet somebody. And then to finish what we were saying, is that you have to then find that moment in their eyes in the edit. The eyes may be looking to the left, and the way they’re looking– is it inquisitive, is it trusting, is it not trusting? You have to be able to recognize that, you have to be sensitive to it. And then that’s the picture.

Continue to Part 2

Part 2

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Interview

Eroica Variations No. 4

Exhibition / Alexandra Kosloski

Photo by David Sisko

The Trops takes pride in standing behind emerging artists, whom you may not have heard of- yet- but you should, and likely soon will. By naming this survey after the Beethoven compositions we are putting forth a bold claim that these voices are heroically breaking through as a force to be reckoned with on the world stage.

Featuring:

Ben Ruhe, Nick Farhi, Rene Saheb, Armando Nin, Rawnak Rahman, Vahakn Arslanian, Jerami Dean Goodwin, David Aaron Greenberg, Conrad de Kwiatkowski

July 27

The last Bohemian Thursday in July was a grand finale. Eroica Variations featured an impressive line up of artists.

The night featured local Nuyorican artist Natalia L Diaz-Jackson and her handmade whimsical collection of soft sculpture statues, as well as music by David Aaron Greenberg, improvisational jazz by Daniel Carter and Stephon Alexander, Djembe by Khadim Sene, and a film screening by Nemo Librizzi.

Photo by David Sisko

Natalia L. Diaz-Jackson’s art of cloth doll making is a powerful way of continuing family traditions and storytelling, passed through generations to an artist who honors her family with great imagination, color and new life. Her dolls are tall, nearly childhood life-sized, with whimsical features such as unicorns and beaks.

Daniel Carter Carter is a legendary improvisational “free jazz” musician, combining saxophone, flute, clarinet, and trumpet in his performances. He performed in collaboration with Stephon Alexander, a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, musician and author.

David Aaron Greenberg is an artist who uses multiple modes of expression. Along with producer David Sisko, he co-founded Disco Pusher, a New York City songwriting and recording duo.

A native New Yorker, Nemo Librizzi has been a steadfast bohemian in the NYC arts scene for his whole life. From the cradle to today, Nemo has creative endeavors across diverse genres of artistry and craftsmanship. Creating and collaborating in film, literature, radio, and fine arts, Nemo expresses a renaissance of the underground.

This event was sponsored by Brilliant Mistake and JuneShine. The Trops is very pleased to have offered Brilliant Mistake’s sauvignon blanc as well as Juneshine’s hard kombucha and tequila margaritas.

Photo by David Sisko

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Exhibition

EROICA VARIATIONS, July 2023

Exhibition / Mothra Monstera

431 E 6th St, NYC

WED-SAT 12-5pm & by appointment

Featuring:

Ben Ruhe, Nick Farhi, Rene Saheb, Armando Nin, Rawnak Rahman, Vahakn Arslanian, Jerami Dean Goodwin, David Aaron Greenberg, Conrad de Kwiatkowski

Vahakn Arslanian (b. 1975, Antwerp, Belgium) Having relocated with his family to New York City as an infant, Vahakn Arslanian is fascinated and inspired by roaring jet engine planes, explosives, luminous light bulbs and flickering candlelight. He has been nearly deaf since birth, his only sense of noise is from that which is thundering to the ears, for him, a glimpse at the vibrational frequency of sound. Along with his fascination with planes comes birds. Where this biomimetic pair have in common, Arslansian mends the two, such as his rough paintings and drawings of plane wings with bird feathers. He takes much of his work and frames them in found objects such as vintage plane windows, often broken and cracked.

Vahakn Arslanian

Fat Bird

Oil on Canvas

27 ¾ in x 35 ½ in

2008

Armando Nin Born and raised in New York, Armando Nin is a painter, photographer, and mixed media artist. His photography work captures the gritty extremities of his surroundings in the City starting in the mid 2000s into present day, and he often uses unconventional materials in his paintings and prefabrications.

Armando Nin

Coreana Chain No.

Unframed Butane Scorched Marine-grade Vinyl

24in x 36in

2022

David Aaron Greenberg is an artist who uses multiple modes of expression.His work has been exhibited in various New York City galleries and is in the permanent collection at Stanford University.His critical writing has appeared in Parkett, The Fader, Art in America and Whitehot Magazine.Along with producer David Sisko, he co-founded Disco Pusher, a New York City songwriting and recording duo. Greenberg graduated from Rutgers University, Phi Beta Kappa. He lives in New Jersey and sometimes New York City.

David Aaron Greenberg

40in x 30in

Oil on Canvas

2023

Rawnak Rahman Kantha Collection embodies her personal journey of navigating the delicate balance between upholding and challenging traditional Bangladeshi culture. She aims to disrupt and spark discussions around Bangladeshi traditions.

Rawnak Rahman

“বু” / “bu”

48” x 48”

Mixed media on wood

2023

Ben Ruhe translates interdimensional beings and textures into his distinct figurative language, integrating soulful whimsicality into his mixed media artworks,

Ben Ruhe

Untitled (captain)

Acrylic Polymer, Ink and Matte Acrylic Medium on Archival paper

14in x 11in

2023

Jerami Dean Goodwin moved to New York City in 2008. Also known as “STAINO”, his graffiti moniker, Jerami attained global notoriety for his outdoor works, recently painting murals in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Peekskill. Putting Out Fires is a series of paintings representing an exploration of new application processes, such as the use of a fire extinguisher.

Jerami Dean Goodwin

Untitled #1 (White)

Acrylic on canvas

48 x 60 inches

Rene Saheb was born in Tehran, Iran and frequently engages allegory to comment on the social and philosophical phenomenons of life. Saheb received her Bachelor of Art in Professional Design at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology.

Rene Saheb

The Fallen Birds 1

Discarded Ceramic Pieces, paint and Glaze

2023

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Exhibition

Moon Mixer 6/21

Exhibition / Jane Doe

Highlighting the intersection of community and art, the installation “Monomania” features fine art pieces at local venues in the Fort Greene neighborhood such as Brooklyn Moon and other cultural centers.

In tandem with this constellation, we host a weekly mixer series, where specially curated performance artists gather on Tuesdays to perform and represent their crafts at the iconic Brooklyn Moon and present a combination of rehearsed and improvisational performances.

This week, we had the honor of hosting three master musicians: Sheila Anozier, Daniel Carter, and Tiga Jean Baptiste at the 6/21 culture mixer. Combining Haitian Folk Music, Jazz, and Haitian drumming, this magical combination of crafts created a moment in musical history.

Sheila Anozier: Haitian Folk Musician

Sheila Anozier is a multidiscplinary artist that combines dance, songs and visual art into her work. Her creativity has given her opportunities to perform with other notable artists across the world, such as Wunmi Olaiya at Ageha in Tokyo, Japan and the Alstadtherbst Festival in Germany with Tamango’s Urban Tap.

Daniel Carter: Free Jazz Musician

Daniel Carter is an avant-garde free jazz musician and performer that has been active since the 1970’s. He has become extremely well known, and is an inspiration to many up and coming musicians. Carter is skilled at playing multiple instruments, including flute, saxophone, clarinet and trumpet. He has performed with artists such as Yoko Ono, Thurston Moore, and Yo La Tengo amongst many others. He is also a member of the cooperative free jazz group Other Dimensions in Music.

Tiga Jean Baptiste: Percussionist

Tiga Jean Baptiste is an eclectic musician who began drumming at events in Haiti with his father Bonga, master of the Haitian drum at a very young age. He has performed with many of Haiti’s other most respected artists as well, including Emeline Michel and Jean-Paul Bourelly. Baptiste has also branched outside of tradition, performing with Zimbabwean artists such as Stella Chiweshe and Thomas Mapfumo, as well as American artists John Legend and Grace Jones.

Moon Mixer 6/21 Read More »

Exhibition

Moon Mixer 6/14

Exhibition / Jane Doe

(Explore the Fort Greene Constellation .)

This week, we had the honor of hosting three master musicians: Sixty Second Assassin, Daniel Carter, and Ibrahima Diokhane at the 6/14 Culture Mixer. Combining Hiphop, Jazz, and African Drumming, this magical combination of crafts created a moment in musical history.

SIXTY SECOND ASSASSIN: Hip Hop Artist

Sixty Second Assassin is a legendary hip hop artist and rapper, born and raised in Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, New York. He is heavily affiliated with the Wu-Tang Clan and Sunz of Man, and was a close associate with Wu-Tang rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Sixty Second Assassin is an enigmatic figure that never fails to wow the crowd with his unique style and voice.

DANIEL CARTER: Free Jazz Musician

Daniel Carter is an avant-garde free jazz musician and performer that has been active since the 1970’s. He has become extremely well known, and is an inspiration to many up and coming musicians. Daniel is skilled in playing multiple instruments, including saxophone, flute, clarinet and trumpet. He has performed with artists such as Yoko Ono, Thurston Moore and Yo La Tengo amongst many others. He is also a member of the cooperative free jazz groups and Other Dimensions of Music.

IBRAHIMA DIOKHANE: Drum Master

Ibrahima Diokhane is a seasoned African drummer originally from Senegal. He opened his drum store Keur Djembe 25 years ago in Gowanus, Brooklyn, offering authentic handmade instruments and drum lessons. Ibrahima makes his own drums with an expertise gained over years of learning, dedication and hard work.

Moon Mixer 6/14 Read More »

Exhibition

Nature’s Course: An Interview with John Newsom (Part 3)

Artist Profile, Exhibition / Nathalie Martin

John Newsom in his studio, 2022.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Mannion

Combining realistic representations of animals and vegetation, Abstract Expressionism, and hard-edge geometry, John Newsom’s paintings explore our intricate and complicated relationship with nature. I spoke with John about his origins, his practice, and his upcoming exhibitions – a mid-career retrospective at the Oklahoma Contemporary Museum and a two-person show with Raymond Pettibon in Palm Beach.

Continued from Part 2

PART 2

Nathalie Martin: It’s also interesting that your first encounter with art was through Rauschenberg and Warhol and kind of all the guys that sought to “break the rules,” then going to school and studying the rules yourself, is a really unique way to get into it or to get into the history.

John Newsom: Yeah, definitely. Definitely, because there’s a generation in between. If you look at it really by decades and things, there was a generation in between there that was such an incredible, momentous time for painting in the eighties. So the Pop Art that I was really looking at, it came earlier, when we were moving out of Abstract Expressionism into Pop. Like real early Pop into middle Pop. That was a really interesting period, but it was also a very popular period. So that’s why I was able to get access to it in rural Oklahoma because I couldn’t get to some of the things that were happening in the European context, or even the Far East, which I eventually made it to. I studied abroad and lived in Kyoto. I was in Yokohama, Osaka, Tokyo, and then I was down in Mexico City for a while, around San Miguel and Palenque. So I traveled a lot. I was very interested in broadening my knowledge. I wanted to get the knowledge. And so it wasn’t exclusively linear like with the New York context. But for me, it’s always been about the journey.

John Newsom, The Bright Side, 2017. Credit: Oklahoma Contemporary Museum

I’ve done a lot of exhibitions in Los Angeles. I’ve had good experiences in LA. I’ve always been based in New York and coming up I never had the dream of going to Los Angeles. I always knew I wanted to get to New York and it’s a different place to paint here. It’s just a little different than it is in LA. And it’s not to make a value judgment. It’s just to say that it’s a different type of context to be painting in. I think that’s benefited my particular type of work again because of the tactility of the surface. That’s kind of a uniquely New York historical way of approaching the canvas. If you look at my work, for the most part, the works are rather large in scale and they’re also very tactical. They’re tough, they’re heavy, and they’re physical paintings. So I always found it kind of a nice juxtaposition when I would go to Los Angeles and see friends and artists out there and shows where it became about light and space. It was all about light and space and atmosphere and it was amazing. It was a trip, but then I get back here and it was like we’re back in this earthen realm of the physical, up-in-your grill surface structures. I love that because I feel like paintings are made as much as they are painted. I mean, there’s the idea of the mark.

NM: I agree and see that in your own work.

JN: There’s a certain attribute about mark-making in New York that is different than anywhere else, and I love it. That’s why I continue to be encouraged by the energy of it. I was talking with the painter Ed Moses about this one time, and he was an interesting painter because although he was in Los Angeles, he was a very physical type of painter. His surfaces were very physically driven. So if he had stayed in New York, he would’ve had a very different history. And if a painter like Brice Marden had gone to Los Angeles, with his type of work, those Cold Mountain paintings would have a totally different feel to them. I just think it’s interesting to really take note of the context of where it is you are painting in a landscape. Corot was painting in a certain landscape, Turner was painting in a certain landscape, Van Gogh too, and it’s just all this kind of stuff. So it’s really fascinating. I am so blessed and grateful to be able to have the opportunity to get up every day and go to the studio and do what I do.

NM: Where is your studio?

JN: My studio right now is located at Mana Contemporary. So I’m actually in Jersey City. But my studio was in Soho previously for twenty years. That was the right amount of time to be in Soho. I’m glad I was in Soho when it was like that. Especially in the nineties, because coming into Soho in 92, we got the backwash of what was there, but there was enough. From 92 to 95, it was still jamming. There were still unbelievable, pivotal types of presentations happening with exhibitions there and these artists and it was amazing. It was amazing. Things shifted, which is okay.

John Newsom in his studio, 2022.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Mannion

NM: As they do.

JN: Yeah, the city doesn’t go anywhere, you just get offered different options, but being there at that time was just incredible to come in on that period, you know? So listen, every generation comes in on their own time.

NM: That’s what I tell myself at least.

JN: Yeah, for sure. So I was planning a move of studios and my wife and I found out we were pregnant with our first child and we had been living in Soho prior to having kids. So we moved to Brooklyn and we live in Park Slope. I decided to move my studio, and through a chain of associations I was offered to take a look at the current space, and I built it out. I really like it. I’ve been at the current studio maybe six, seven years, something like that. It’s a long commute, but I’m glad I have it. I walk, I take the trains. I love living in a walking city. As a painter, I love it. That’s another reason why I could never be in LA. There was an apartment I had access to for four years through the gallery I was with in LA and I’d stay there and I’d either get a car or have a driver or some way to get around, but I never really drove. You get to run into people here. You want to have experiences. You feel a part of the city, you feel closer to it. So I walk, I take the trains. I don’t go to the gym, but I go to the studio. It helps you a little bit. But it’s all good. Everything’s good. Everything’s in a real good space. So yeah, totally. I’m happy.

NM: Good. I want to talk about your influences too. Your fauna definitely reminds me of Audubon and your backdrops remind me of Pollock or Mitchell, and your flora reminds me of Kahlo even.

JN: Well, I love all those artists you’re mentioning. It’s really important to do two things. It’s really important to address your influences, to work with and through your influences. You have to do that, but you have to literally work through your influences until it’s digested fully and it’s yours now.

John Newsom, Keep Watch, 2020. Credit: Oklahoma Contemporary Museum

NM: Absolutely, so you’re not just regurgitating.

JN: You have to do that. I mean, the Greats study the Greats in order to be great. You have to do that in anything, in music, sports, entertainment, in writing. Again, because I kind of started out early, I got to go through a lot, and quickly. I gathered a lot, I went through a lot. When I say a lot, it wasn’t like I was looking at a dozen artists. I was looking at hundreds of artists. Really, hundreds of artists, trying to see what it was all about. And there are many, many false starts. You’re not going to hit it out of the park every time. There’s going to be a lot of strikes, and you have to embrace it. Sometimes it’s like, “This is interesting, but it’s kind of a dead-end,” and so now I’m going to go over here and, “Oh, wow, this is happening.” But you have to keep an open mind, always have to keep an open mind. You never know where it’s going to come from, where that spark is going to be. So you’re mentioning artists like Audubon to Joan Mitchell, which is interesting. Who the hell is thinking of that together? You know what I mean? You make an interesting point because it’s like, “I want it all.” Going back to Rauschenberg, when you look at Skyway, it’s like he was cramming everything he could into every square inch of that painting. That’s what I love about Rauschenberg and certain other artists that I’ll get into – the level of generosity. I just love when I walk into a show, wherever it is, I’m like, “Oh, wow. Whoa.” You know, it’s just, “Oh my God, look at this!” So if I’m flipping through Artforum or whatever, I see an announcement for an exhibition by a certain artist, then it’s like, “Oh shit! I can’t wait to see this!”

NM: Me too! And when it hits, it hits.

JN: Oh man, when it delivers? Because it might not deliver. But when it delivers, you know, it’s like watching Pacino in a film or something…. and it delivers! You walk in and you’re like, “Wow, this is it!” It didn’t happen overnight. Paintings don’t make themselves. You’ve got to get up, get your coffee, get in the studio, grind, flow – however it gets done – and you have to paint every day. This reminds me of a quote by Alex Katz that I’ve always loved. I really admire Alex Katz. He’s amazing. And he said, “Go to the studio, paint 10 hours a day every day for 10 years, and then come see me.” And that’s just such a pretentious, badass, New York quote. That’s just awesome. So that’s what I did. I painted 10 hours a day for 10 years. And then I went to see him. He gave me a drawing of his wife Ada reclining on the beach, and my wife has it hanging in our bedroom and it’s signed: To John, Love Alex. So I took his advice and if you’re a painter like that, I’m giving you Alex Katz’s advice, because it was really good advice. Just get in there and grind, and that’s really it. You’re also going to find out a lot about yourself and if you’re cut out for this, because not everybody is built for this nor should they be. It’s just following your own bliss, figuring out what that means, and what’s that about.

John Newsom, Solstice, 2016. Credit: Oklahoma Contemporary Museum

So I can get into influences. Certainly, there have been many, many, many, and I gotta tell you, it’s at a point now where it’s become self-referential in the work. And that’s a strange thing to say. It’s not completely self-referential, but it’s to the degree that… like, the Jasper Johns show just closed at the Whitney, and it’s been a very busy time for me and I didn’t get to see it.

NM: What! No way.

JN: No, no, no, but it’s fine. I’m not stressed about not seeing it because I’ve seen other Johns’ shows. He’s a great painter, but I’m at the point where I can’t see anything right now because I’ve got to be on my shit. But it hasn’t always been like that. There was a point earlier where I would have made sure to see a show like that because I needed to see it. Or I had to see it or whatever, but you know what, I’ve seen iterations of it. I hope I’m getting this across because it’s an exciting place to be at. It’s like, wow, I finally have so much on my plate with my own painting that I actually can’t go see this stuff, but it’s okay. Because I know it, I know what it is. I’ve really enjoyed sharing these stories with you because it’s a time to look back. It’s a time to take a moment of self-reflection and to look back and to take stock and see what things have happened, what paintings exist now that are particularly important and strong in my own lineage, and then see where I’m going with it. Then I’ll have a period that opens up where I can exhale and go see something, and then you see what happens. It’s interesting, things that you would have never imagined you would’ve been into at a certain period, you’re obsessed with, you know what I mean?

NM: Totally. Some of my favorite painters now are artists I originally didn’t understand or like.

JN: And then vice versa, you know, you’ve got to be like that. You can’t just stay on one thing. If you’re on a type of painting or an artist as an influence, and you’re looking at it and you know it back and forth, it doesn’t mean you have to stay on it forever. You can set it down and you can evolve into other things, knowing that it was there. It is there. But you don’t have to feel obligated to take it with you everywhere. Not that you should either, because the most important thing is to find your own voice as a painter. You have to work through your influences. You look at Velazquez or Caravaggio or late Manet – this is capital “P” Painting, and you have to get through that stuff. You have to go to the Prado and see Spanish painting, you have to see the Louvre and the French painting. You’ve got to do all that stuff. I was told that when I was young, and I’ve been to those places. So you get into a certain moment in your development and then you process it, and it gets better. It just keeps getting better, and you get wiser too, just by doing the work. Because the work leads the way.

Continued in Part 4

PART 4

Nature’s Course: An Interview with John Newsom (Part 3) Read More »

Artist Profile, Exhibition

ABOVE FRESH AIR

Exhibition / Ana Rodriguez

SUNDAY JUNE 27 2021

FEAT:

DJ SMOKE

CATCH THE VIBE

Kareem Taylor – Catch A Vibe is a pop up dance improvisation session based in NYC. It is a safe space that is curated to explore movement through various prompts that are meant to challenge the minds and bodies of the participants.

THE SHOW

ABOVE FRESH AIR (FASHION SHOW)

STYLISTS

Joshua Joseph (@swordofthemornin) – Joshua Joseph is a fashion designer and stylist born in Trinidad, based in New York. Joshua has been creating since he was young, having learned with his father about sewing and working with leather. Now, he is the founder of his clothing line “Rebels to Dons”, and a stylist to many people across the fashion, film, music and sports industries. Joshua is curating “Above Fresh Air”, an experience that looks to encourage and uplift local creators who would like to show their work to the world.

John Taylor (@jtizalive) – John Taylor is a Menswear designer and Art director based inNew York City, he has designed for some of the most acclaimed menswear in the city, such as Thom Browne, Aimeé Leon Dore, and Willy Chavarria. John Taylor will be officially launching his line “Moment Homme” in Fall 2021.

DESIGNERS

Rebels to Dons (@rebelstodons)

Rebels to Dons is an innovative brand founded in 2012 by Joshua Joseph. Joshua’s label, rooted in the upcycling of garments, looks to encompass the merging of island and city culture through his designs. Elaborations such as cut and sew techniques on sportswear silhouettes make Rebels to Dons stand out as a brand that merges luxury with leisurewear.

Daily Paper (@dailypaper)

Daily Paper is an Amsterdam based fashion brand founded in 2012 by Abderrahmane Trabsini, Jefferson Osei, and Hussein Suleiman. The three founders have been friends since school and creating together since 2008, evolving what once was a streetwear blog into an internationally recognized clothing brand. The designers look to make their African heritage an intrinsic element in the creation of their designs and prioritize giving back to communities across Africa. Daily Paper looks to represent a generation of underrepresented creators while breaking away with limiting barriers in the fashion world.

LAAMS nyc (@laams.nyc)

LAAMS is a streetwear shop located on 74 Orchard street that is difficult to confuse with any other clothing store. When it was first elaborated, its founder, Scott Selvin, envisioned a space that could house a vintage boutique, bookstore, juice bar, screen printing lab, and a tattoo shop, among many other things. The essence of community and creation can be seen within the multidisciplinary space. At LAAMS, creatives are welcomed to browse merchandise and are simultaneously offered an accessible space to view and produce art.

Barriers NY (@barriersny)

Barriers NY is a New York based brand that uses its platform to commemorate important activists and revolutionaries such as Angela Davis, Malcolm X, and Fred Hampton among others, as it also offers a platform for upcoming artists to show their creations and get involved in streetwear culture. On their website, it is mentioned that the mantra “Create Your Opportunity” transcends across the brand’s vision.

Reus Laboratories (@reus_labs)

Established in Brooklyn, NY in 2018, ⓇEUS is a BIPOC-owned mind lab and high-fashion streetwear brand focused on sustainability and hand craftsmanship. The creator presents one-of-a-kind Upcycled and Reworked Custom designs to create timeless and environmentally conscious style.

New Way of Life (@newwayoflife.world)

New Way of Life is a clothing brand that consists of streetwear often displaying the brand’s name in the Pan-African colors of red, yellow, and green. On their website you can find tote bags, t-shirts, and jeans reading “New Way of Life”, often embroidered, making their pieces intricate and one of a kind. A recurrent phrase seen among their pieces is “We are from and of the people.” Besides clothing, other items such as the book “Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes”, and necklaces with the Ethiopian Coptic cross can be found on their site.

Pat’s Pants (@pats.pants)

Pat’s Pants, founded by Pat Hoblin and Cassandra Mayela, looks to produce sustainably made clothing and make use of all scraps and extra fabrics. The brand is currently run by Pat, who maintains a goal to make clothes that are intentionally sustainable as it is useful to whoever wears it. Pat’s Pants has a vision to make that one pair of comfortable and functional pants that you wouldn’t want to take off.

Gangsters Buy Flowers (@gangsters.buy.flowers)

Founded by Maxime Hilaire, The “Gangsters Buy Flowers” brand is about highlighting the duality of man. The art of being tough but having a softer side. Hustling & grinding all day, but picking up a bouquet or a few roses for the house on your way home. Having that tough exterior but still having a love & admiration for life & the beautiful atmosphere that flowers.

Maison Monsieur Mikey (@maisonmonsieurmikey)

Maison Monsieur Mikey New York is a contemporary lifestyle designer brand, founded, designed and produced by Mickal “Mr. Mikey” Stubblefield, that seeks to answer the question ‘what is contemporary from a classic NYC style perspective?’ It is an anti-fast fashion experimental brand that offers a selection of ready-to-wear outerwear & apparel, accessories, home goods and jewelry that aims to appeal to both aspirational and luxury clientele. Its current Spring-Summer 2021 collection, titled “No Man Is An Island,” seeks to find unity after going through an especially difficult and isolating time.

True Yorkers (@trueyorkers)

The True Yorkers brand represents “a connection between those that walk the talk and those eager to right NYC history.” Their apparel is made to represent the city lifestyle and energy, and, as seen on many of their pieces, True Yorkers are “often imitated, never duplicated.”

Western Elders (@westernelders)

Western Elders is a “physical representation of heritage, legacy, and culture.” Its founder is heavily influenced by their West African heritage and its culture, sharing in their website a fond memory of their grandmother reminding to “respect your elders.” Western Elders is an expression of the duality that is growing up in New York with West African roots, it is “built by Africa, Made in New York.”

Vinnie’s Styles (@vinniesstyles)

Vinnie’s Styles first opened up on Flatbush Ave in 2002. The store is named after the Panamanian grandfather of the three brothers who founded the space-Jacob, Paul, and Desta Parris. One of their most iconic pieces are their “Brooklyn” t-shirts written in varying scripts, besides these, Vinnie’s Styles supply shoppers with a wide range of streetwear coming from collaborations or their in-house brand, Paulie’s. The three brothers from Vinnie’s have also expanded their operations, setting up a store in Atlanta.

It’s important that we create a vision of what it looks like when we support each other and our communities. The concept of Above Fresh Air is to introduce people to new up & coming brands and artists.

This summer, the branded runway show and exhibition presented by The Trops will focus on highlighting the freshest brands from NYC communities.

This fashion show at FSG Park in LES is uniquely designed by some of the most creative stylists of NYC, combining different garments from each brand to create a series of unique looks for the runway.

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Exhibition