Earlier this week, on the C1 level of downtown Manhattan’s Oculus, the luxury shopping hub designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, soulful R&B drifted through the long white corridors, peaking the interest of tourists windows shopping at Tissot and Victoria’s Secret and waving fragrant samples of L’Occitane en Provence products in the air for a whiff of lemon, lavender or vanilla.
The music was coming from the New York City Culture Club, where a photo exhibition that focuses on community, fame, and Black culture in New York City titled “Echoes of Tomorrow: We Are The Future Ancestors” opened on Tuesday night.
Roughly 100 guests gathered into the small-ish space, which was filled with prints ranging from traditional 8x10s to some that were nearly five-feet long. The group show, organized by the independent curator and former R&B singer Mashonda Tifrere, includes works by Jamel Shabazz, who has been documenting hip-hop and street culture since 1980, Flo Ngala, a photojournalist and the first Black woman to photograph the Met Gala, and Laylah Barrayn, a frequent contributor to the New York Times. The show also features works by Steven John Irby, Sandra “Shakka” Smith, and Johnny Nunez.
Echos was originally conceived as a solo show of Ngala’s work. But, following the curatorial invitation from the Culture Club’s founders Parker and Clayton Calvert, Tifrere’s decided to expanded the idea into a group show that focused on local New York City photographers who, as Tifrere puts it, “capture the city’s essence authentically” and encourage a feeling of community. That decision successfully puts Ngala, who has never shown in a gallery, in conversation with legends like Shabazz and up-and-commers like Shakka.
There are also images of celebrity—a portrait of Nas complete with a crisp white shirt, cigar, and diamond encrusted pinkie ring, Mary J. Blige looking at once mighty and elegant in black leather, and Method Man looking effortlessly cool and chic in a black, peak lapeled suit with gold accoutrement.
