December 5, 2022

Dominique Nok talks with Antwaun Sargent, the writer and curator of the book and exhibition The New Black Vanguard: Photography between Art and Fashion, a fusion of contemporary art and fashion photography by cutting-edge international Black imagemakers on display in Saatchi Gallery.

In the heart of Chelsea on the first floor of Saatchi Gallery, the New York-based writer and art-critic Antwaun Sargent has carefully curated an exciting exhibition showcasing the works of a generation of skilled and talented Black imagemakers.

He stylishly and unapologetically introduces 15 growing talents such as Quil Lemons, Tyler Mitchell, Arielle Bobb-Willis, Campbell Addy, Micaiah Carter, and Nadine Ijewere alongside added contributions of Black British photographers in a non-conventional way.

Instead of displaying the photographs in a traditional white cube he stimulates the visitors’ visual senses with an explosion of bold and lush coloured gallery walls complementing the equally vibrant portraits and conceptual images.

Saatchi Gallery presents The New Black Vanguard (28 Oct – 22 Jan) supported by Burberry and organised by Aperture. © Saatchi Gallery

In this thrilling exhibition the young Black contemporary photographers offer a different, inspiring, and fresh gaze presenting and framing the Black body as a universal signifier for beauty and identity through fashion and culture. We asked them about their thoughts about the exhibition, and for industry tips….