Two years ago, prompted by the death of cultural icon and legendary fashion editor André Leon Talley, the curating duo of artist Ilene Sova and writer Byron Armstrong began to investigate the connection between art, the fashion industry and Black creativity and style. Thus, the pair’s concept of an art show to memorialize and celebrate Black style and identity was born. “[Fashion] is another creative industry where Black people have shown some sort of resiliency to prove their worth and push forward,” said Armstrong. The exhibit’s title, “Too Much Fashion,” was coined from one of Talley’s popular sayings.
Developed with August’s Emancipation Month and Caribbean Carnival celebrations in mind, “Too Much Fashion” is on now at United Contemporary Gallery from Aug. 1 to Aug. 30.
The Star spoke to the nine artists featured in the exhibit about their various artistic mediums and the statements their pieces are making.
Janice Reid, “Strictly Roots”
To Brampton-based Jamaican artist Janice Reid, “Strictly Roots” represents a lost era à la ’90s basement parties at Jane and Finch, where community and music were held close. “Two women of Caribbean heritage, and it has that flavour and it has that energy!” said Reid of the intimate portrait. The title of the piece also traces back to music via a lyric from Althea and Donna’s “Uptown Top Ranking”: “Nah pop no style, I strictly roots.” A fitting refrain for a familiar yet striking depiction of Caribbean style and originality.
Adetona Omokanye, “Untitled 5”
Nigerian artist Adetona Omokanye’s “Untitled 5,” from her “Spiritually Fashionable” series draws parallels between contemporary Nigerian fashion and that of the masquerade from the Yoruba tradition, also known as Egungun. “They are spiritual beings, but at the same time there’s fashion and beauty in what they do.” Pre-colonial traditions and religions are still a taboo topic in Nigeria, but Omokanye feels we’re missing out. “There’s so much negative conversation about Africans … but I also feel that there’s so much beauty that people don’t know anything about.”
Benny Bing, “S L I C K”
Nigerian artist Benny Bing is on a mission to represent the style and flair of the contemporary Black man through majestic portraiture. “What would a Black man at Paris Fashion Week or New York Fashion Week look like?” said Bing. He might look like a colleague, a cousin, maybe even like a member of 2000s hip-hop band Migos. Bing says his painting “S L I C K,” is an essential message to Black men and women that they do belong, especially since a lot of today’s trends find their origins in Black cultures. “We are trendsetters. We are culture creators,” said Bing.
Bing’s piece also pays homage to his late brother and father, who were also lovers of fashion.
Ehiko Odeh, “Aura”
One fateful class assignment at OCAD University pushed Nigerian artist Ehiko Odeh to dig deeper into the roots of archival Black hair tools. Countless hours spent at West Indian Golden Beauty, a recently demolished cultural institution that had been around since the ’70s, led to her finding the image inspirations for “Aura,” a solar-dyed print on Baltic birch panel.
Odeh is fascinated by the many possibilities within Black hair. “I’m very interested in finding the most rare, most unique, most extravagant hairstyle that people have done in the past but people are also doing in the present.” In bridging the past and present through her work, Odeh said she hopes it serves as a reclamation of identity and a celebration of Black beauty. “We can be free to express ourselves the way we want to.”
Kriss Munsya, “Even. Genetic Bomb”
Kriss Munsya didn’t plan to depict any type of fashion when he set out to shoot “Even. Genetic Bomb” back home in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In fact, it was the furthest thing from his mind, given the political instability and humanitarian crisis the DRC has been facing for the better part of the year.
Munsya’s goal instead was to interrogate how colonialism has distorted Congolese society. “It’s a piece about how colonialism is pushing Congolese people to integrate their lives through whiteness. So whiteness becomes the standard in which they measure their own value.”
Gordon Shadrach, “Resolution”
Toronto artist Gordon Shadrach spent most of his life working in fashion, so when he began his artist journey, he painted what he knew, starting with Black dandies in a historical format. “As an artist, I was looking for ways of exploring Blackness in contemporary art and recognizing that there were gaps historically in what we saw in museums and galleries,” said Shadrach.
Shadrach’s piece for the exhibition, “Resolution,” flips his signature style on its head, depicting himself as a contemporary Black dandy. He said he hopes this homage to Black fashion in the present day is a reminder to Black people in and out of fashion that “we are not outliers.”
Kachelle Knowles, “Don’t Get Off Your Strawberry Swing”
For Bahamian artist Kachelle Knowles, Black fashion doesn’t have to be about the bold, flashy or avant-garde; she believes there’s magic in the mundane yet meaningful. “When we put on clothes, it’s not just about trying to prove that you’re fashionable or prove that you can fit into the esthetic, but more so, how you relate to the clothes that you wear,” said Knowles.
Knowles was also deliberate in softening the edges of Black masculinity in this piece. “I’m very aware of how men are depicted in our history and sometimes it needs a little more of a feminine touch.” “Don’t Get Off Your Strawberry Swing” is an intimate portrait of Knowles’s best friend, musician Maz Joachin, in his natural element.
Veronica Dorsett, “6IX-LOVE 01”
Veronica Dorsett always admired how well the older Caribbean generation took care of their clothes. The Bahamian artist’s decorative collage piece “6IX-LOVE 01” honours the centuries-old practice, as well as her father. “He’s very dedicated to representing himself the way he wants,” she said of his fashion taste and style.
In the Bahamas, fashion often comes from using what’s on hand to create something personal and affirming, according to Dorsett. The pride and beauty in that is something Dorsett said she made sure to highlight. “[Fashion] is what we live, it’s our culture, it’s who we are.”
Ojo Agi, “Untitled (Bun)”
Nigerian artist Ojo Agi first started working with brown paper in 2012 as a way to amplify dark complexions, serving as a metaphor for identity and belonging. “When drawing portraits, I’m motivated by the portrayal of natural beauty. I love drawing textured hairstyles, like cornrows or kinky-curly afros, and rendering the highlights that reflect off of dark skin. It is a way to affirm that Black is beautiful and see representation that speaks to the reality of my community,” said Agi. “Untitled (Bun)” depicts a Black woman in her natural element.
