Starred review from August 8, 2022
In this sensational collection, photographer Barboza’s body of work is celebrated in all its glory. A Black man born in 1944, with his talents nurtured by the Kamoinge group and other Black Arts Movement affiliations, Barboza recognized that “photography had the power to tell stories, capture ideas, and document human experiences,” Bryant writes. Barboza is best known for his portraits, which Hilton Als describes here as having an effect on their subjects that would “lift themselves up—lift their spirits up.” Images of Halle Berry, Cher, Rudy Dee and Ossie Davis, and Toukie Smith break through celebrity glamour to convey a palpable sense of confidence and pride. Other series celebrate street and community life in diverse cities (New York, L.A.) as well as Africa and the Middle East, whereas more experimental and artistic close-ups such as The Hand (seen pressed against a window) or The Fruit of My Dreams showcase beauty in objects or elevate the mundane. The photographer calls his process “eye dreaming,” and explains it as: “I was always looking for the other half of me. It’s autobiographical.... You’re looking for love, and with that love you go to another level.” Essays and an in-depth interview with Barboza add to the abundance of the volume, and give greater meaning and appreciation to the artist’s life, career, and celebration of Black America. It’s a gorgeous addition to the shelf of any art book collector.
January 1, 2023
"I'm trying to explain being Black in this country," says photographer Barboza (b. 1944), in an illuminating interview included in this career retrospective and first monograph on the artist. The title explores his major influences, including a stint as a Navy photographer, participation in the Kamoinge Workshop (a Black photographers' collective formed in 1963), and photographer-mentors such as Adger Cowans. Crucial to Barboza's output--portraiture, fashion, fine art, album covers, street photography--is the sway of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s--70s and Barboza's desire to articulate a uniquely Black voice and aesthetic. For him, photographing is "eye dreaming," a powerful flow state encompassing mind, body, and the photographer's total life experiences. Includes 216 color photographs and essays by New Yorker theater critic Hilton Als and photography curators Aaron Bryant (National Museum of African American History and Culture), and Mazie M. Harris (Getty Museum). VERDICT The first monograph on this significant American photographer, thorough and handsomely designed.
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