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GROWING UP IN THE 90'S, I WAS EXPOSED TO AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURE THROUGH MUSIC VIDEOS, TV SHOWS, AND EVEN SPORTS.

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MY CURIOSITY ABOUT AFRICAN CULTURE EVOLVED DURING THIS TIME AND CONTINUED TO FOLLOW ME THROUGHOUT MY LIFE. AS I STARTED DJ-ING, I BEGAN BY PLAYING MUSIC FROM AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARTISTS WHICH THEN LED ME TO EXPLORE A VARIETY OF GENRES FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.

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IT WAS THIS EXPLORATION THAT DEEPENED MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE CULTURAL COMPLEXITY OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSIC AND THE ROOTS FROM WHICH IT CAME. THIS MUSIC WAS NOT JUST AN ARTISTIC EXPRESSION, BUT RATHER A MEANS OF SURVIVAL THAT DEVELOPED FROM THE HARDSHIPS OF SLAVERY AND THE YEARS OF DISCRIMINATION THAT FOLLOWED.

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THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE, WHICH INSPIRED THIS EXHIBITION, WAS A CULTURAL AWAKENING AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES, BETWEEN THE 1920S AND THE FORTIES. MUSIC, ART, LITERATURE AND FASHION WERE USED AS TOOLS TO CHALLENGE ONGOING RACISM AND STEREOTYPES WITH THE INTENTION OF PROMOTING SOCIAL AND RACIAL INTEGRATION.

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AN EXAMPLE OF THIS CAN BE SEEN IN THE SUITS WORN BY AFRICAN-AMERICAN MEN DURING THIS TIME. THE CONSCIOUS DECISION TO REFINE THEIR STYLE WAS BOTH A WAY TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN BLACK IDENTITY WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY INTEGRATING INTO THE DOMINANT CULTURE.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE INSTILLED IN AFRICAN AMERICANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY A NEW SPIRIT OF SELF-DETERMINATION AND PRIDE. IT WAS ABOUT GIVING A VOICE TO THEIR EXPERIENCES, WHICH EVEN NOWADAYS, IS EXPRESSED ESPECIALLY THROUGH THEIR MUSIC.

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MY WORK AS A PHOTOGRAPHER HAS FOLLOWED MY CURIOSITY IN AFRICAN CULTURE AND BROUGHT ME TO EXPLORE THIS EXPLOSION OF ARTS AS WELL AS THE PERVASIVE ISSUES OF COLONIALISM.

I BELIEVE MY ART IS A TOOL TO HONOR THE STRENGTH HOWEVER DOING THE, IT IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME TO RECOGNIZE THE HISTORY AND INJUSTICE OF RACISM THAT CONTINUES TO OPPRESS BLACK COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD.

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THIS EXHIBITION IS AN ATTEMPT TO HIGHLIGHT THE BEAUTY IN BLACK IDENTITY IN ONE OF ITS MANY FORMS.

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PHOTOGRAPHER / YARDEN ROKACH

STYLING & COLLABORATION / YARDEN KARLINSKY

HAIR & MAKE-UP / SARAH GUES-THOMAS

CLOTHING / LONI VINTAGE, BAMOSS SQUARE, OUTSIDE SOCIETY

MODELS / TIA GALILI, FATIMA FAY JAKITE EINAV RASKAY, DARGHAM AZHARI,

PERIEL KAHELEKESA, CHANCELA MONGOZA SONNY KUBLAN