Photographer Russell Frederick showcases his very first solo exhibition in New York in Spring/Summer this year. Finally reaching his goal to raise $7,000 to fund his exhibition, Frederick tells WeAreHQ how the likes of James Brown, Lauryn Hill and Mos Def has inspired his photography of the streets, Brooklyn and his hopes to exhibit worldwide…
Your current exhibition ‘Black’ focuses on the people in Brooklyn New York. What about these people are you trying to portray?
With my photos I want people internationally and domestically to get a better understanding of the Black community. Our community is not a monolith of stereotypical images. The image of Black women and men has taken a severe hit from some rap music / videos, reality t.v. and the mis-steps of the Black athlete. All of this at a time when we have a Black president. Our challenges as a community are very public, but I want to present the world with other side of the Black community that is a virtuous one. The same man whose image may be a little hard or be one you cannot understand also has a side of him you can relate to and respect. There is a lot power in imagery. We are very hard working, family oriented and loving people. I think more people need to see that. There are not enough movies, television series, videos and news articles showing this. I take pictures with a purpose. A purpose to educate, to challenge the way you think, and when I look through the camera I always think about taking pictures that will be honest yet respectful.
To me, my image of Brooklyn comes mainly from Hip Hop especially artists like Jay-Z and Notorious BIG. What does Brooklyn mean to you?
Brooklyn is the county of Kings! [laughs] That is actually a legal name to the city. Brooklyn is a great place. I believe it is the most populated borough with over 2.5 million people. It is very diverse. Every nationality has their own community and so many people share the same community as home. On my block where I grew up as a child in Bushwick I was surrounded with diversity. I am Panamanian and I grew up with Puerto Ricans, Trinidadians, Jamaicans, New Yorkers and people from the South. So much of Brooklyn and New York is like this. A lot of Brooklyn people have swagger and passion. The city has a reputation of being a place where only the strongest can survive. This is true but that is all of New York. The image from the music from artists such as Jay Z and BIG is very real but so is the image of Brooklyn from artists such as Talib Kweli and Mos Def. There are many parts of Brooklyn with million dollar homes. It is not all run down. Brooklyn people are go getters and we have low tolerance for nonsense.
A unifying theme in your work seems to be grace and beauty in the struggle, do you think this exhibition can be inspiring to people in other communities around the world?
Without question. The beauty of the people is their grace throughout struggle. So many dignified people! A community saturated with pride resonates with everyone internationally. Pride is not lacking in Brooklyn from the young man whose clothes may be a little worn because he may not have much or to the other various men and women running to the train trying to get to work or school. People all over the world can relate to Brooklyn because they see themselves or someone they know in the people in Brooklyn. People who may not have much, but they are at peace with their health, faith, family, beliefs and commitment to a better life either through hard work or education. People see us as hard working and we are more humble and nice than what many people think. We believe in ourselves and we go hard at whatever we do!
What draws you towards your subjects?
There are so many factors. It can be someone who I think is perceived as a stereotype and they are displaying a behaviour that may not be associated with their image or age. It can be what I see as love, style, strength, determination, discipline or family. There is the beauty of life that we so often pass by because we are in a rush to take care of business but then you see these images of us that reflect values we do not subscribe to. I understand how some people who don’t live with or interact much with Black people can see us as underachieving. Its because the current image of us is in the media is not a balanced one.
I noticed your work is predominantly in black and white, why do you favour this method?
Black and white photography has a timeless quality that I feel colour lacks. We see life in colour. Black and white photography simplifies the life around us. It makes you focus more. The life I see is the same life you may see but when I photograph it in black and white film it pulls you in I think. This is life. It is black and white with areas of grey.
How did your experiences growing up make you want to be a photographer? What was your inspiration?
My experiences growing up did not make me want to be a photographer but my experiences growing up have helped shape me as a photographer. I have been stereotyped because of how I looked and where I came from as a child to now in my adulthood. I have seen my community portrayed as “the hood” when a good percentage of us live in neighbourhoods. This perception that the black and brown communities lack standards or do not desire much is lopsided.
My inspiration to become a photographer came from many sources. Becoming a photographer was not a childhood dream. I was first thinking about a career as a fashion stylist at one point and then I realized the photographer was pretty much the director behind a lot of the themes in pictures. It was then that I started to look at photography differently. I made a commitment to photography in 1997 at the International Center of Photography after one course. My instructor Bernard Palias (God bless his soul) told me I would be a great photographer and it would be a shame if I did not pursue photography seriously. I never took another course, because I could not afford it but I went to book stores looking at all different types of photography and I kept shooting relentlessly. I challenged myself and I was always seeking feedback from my work. My family is from Panama and they did not know how to cultivate my artistic talents. One of the most influential people in my career has been Eli Reed. He took me under his wing when I was just getting started. I am forever grateful. After Eli Reed, Joseph Rodriguez, and Clarence Williams were two of my biggest mentors. These men introduced me to the works of Roy Decarava and Chester Higgins plus a host of other great photographers. However, Steve McCurry, Henri Cartier Bresson, James Nachtwey, Abbas and Gordon Parks have played a major role in my growth.
My inspiration to capture the soul of the community has also come from the soul music of the past and present generations. These musicians told stories that really resonated with me. The likes of Bob Marley, Curtis Mayfield, the O’Jays, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Seal, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, John Coltrane, Miles Davis. Hip-hop artists such as NAS, Kanye West, Wu Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Jay-Z, Mos Def, Biggie aka Notorious BIG, KRS-1, Rakim, Gang Starr, Public Enemy, OutKast, Goodie Mob, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Ice Cube , Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg all told stories of the streets and the times in a gritty, poetic, witty or abstract way that had strength. These men all embody so much. Their courage and voice energized, educated and entertained masses. James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Claude Brown and Jervis Anderson challenged me as a journalist. These men showed me the power of the pen and imagination with how a photograph can illustrate a certain type of eloquence. I realized I could perhaps educate, inspire, challenge perceptions and make people smile by taking their picture. I saw the camera as a powerful tool that showed the world a lot of ugly things that have taken place in our community and outside of it. I realized that if given the right platform I could show the beauty in people who are so often misunderstood because some of us live differently than others. I learned I could make a difference with my camera. This feeling was so fulfilling that I knew I was doing the right thing. I never looked back after I learned this. I am so thankful to all the people who have allowed me into their lives with my camera.
Tell me more about Bed-Stuy and why you started photographing there?
Bed Stuy is a great place! So many great people. So many great minds, artists, entrepreneurs and hard working people. There are beautiful brownstones and limestone houses, a place rich with diversity of culture, food and religion. Bed Stuy is Black America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, the Far East, East India, and now a growing influx of White Americans. The community is a thriving metropolis that has produced its share of successful people from Spike Lee, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Shirley Chisholm, Lena Horne, Max Roach, Mos Def, Jay- Z and so many more incredible people that are unknown. These people are in my photographs.
I started photographing Bed Stuy because whenever I told people who did not live in Brooklyn where I lived they would cringe and make comments like “do you have a bullet proof vest and a helmet in your bag?” At times I was offended and at times I just laughed because I knew if these same people came to the place where I lived they would want to buy a home there and they would be blown away by the people, the pride, the amenities and just how different it is from what they thought. Bed Stuy has its raw parts known as “do or die” but I knew with my camera I could let the pictures tell the story of the community.
I was also motivated to start shooting Bed Stuy because one year I went to a community board meeting in 1999 and at this meeting they spoke about the projected rent for a studio apartment to be around $1000…around the year 2010 when at the current time it was around $500.- $550. Then one day, I walked outside my apartment and I saw the generic streetlights were being disassembled and replaced with a cast iron antique style streetlight. After this, I knew some major changes were coming. At this point I decided to document the community. I decided the one way a reference could be made of the community would be if a book existed.
How are you finding coordinating your first major solo exhibition in New York? What can we expect from you in the future?
This is my first major solo show in 6 years. There is a lot of thought going into this show. I plan on introducing my work to a larger audience. An audience unfamiliar with Bed Stuy, Brooklyn and an audience that thought they knew Bed Stuy. What you can expect from me in the future are images from around the globe showing people of colour from urban America and around the globe being seen for their strengths and not their weaknesses. You can also expect to see my work at a place near you and a book about the work I have been doing over this past decade. I have not agreed to terms with a publisher yet but I believe the time is coming. I want to inspire people to pursue their passion and challenge people to not judge people because of where they live, their race or how they carry themselves. This is a challenge for all of us. Myself included.
For more information on Russell Frederick, checkout his website
Photography by Russell Frederick
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