Dandy Lion: Articulating a Re(de)fined Black Masculine Identity

International Mon 18-07-2011

Dandy Lion: Articulating a Re(de)fined Black Masculine Identity
By Shantrelle P. Lewis

After a successful installation in association with Society HAE last Fall, the Dandy Lion photography exhibit garnered attention from various institutions both nationally and abroad. Independent curator and scholar Shantrelle P. Lewis is in the process of securing more work for inclusion in an installation of Dandy Lion at a major contemporary arts space on the East Coast that is scheduled to open in October 2011.

Anthony Kaminju-Le Sapeur

A photograph of Congolese imigrats in South Africa staging a fashion show by Antony Kaminju | Courtesy of bbc.co.uk

What Ms Lewis can share about the space is that it is an Andy Warhol Initiative institution. (More details to follow). Work will also be considered for inclusion in an installation of the Dandy Lion Exhibit at Open Ateliers Zuidoost in September 2011.

All work exhibited in Dandy Lion will be included in the forthcoming Dandy Lion book project. If you are a photographer with in an interest in this subject, I invite you to submit work for consideration.

About the Exhibit:

Who or what is a dandy? A dandy is:

A man who affects extreme elegance in clothes and manners; a fop.
Something very good or agreeable

Anthony Kaminju-Le Sapeur

Congolese immigrants stage a fashion show in South Africa | Photo by Antony Kaminju | Courtesy of bbc.co.uk

Juxtaposed against an urban backdrop where the clothing of choice for many black men consists of a pair of sagging pants, exposed boxers, jerseys and white tees – the “hip hop” generation has produced another phenomenon of style – the New Age dandy.

Noticeably different from his historical minstrel or Harlem Renaissance queer prototype, the 21st Century Dandy Lion is more masculine than metro-sexual, more of an expression of the African aesthetic and mode of swagger than an imitation of European high-brow society.

Anthony Kaminju-Le Sapeur

Photo by Antony Kaminju | Courtesy of bbc.co.uk

A Dandy Lion is a contemporary man of SWAG who oozes creativity and makes well thought-out decisions in expressing his individuality. A performance and embodiment of sophistication, dandies are gentlemen of exceptional manners who consciously postulate what it means to be Black, masculine and full of style not simply as performance but an embodiment of a lifestyle.

Anthony Kaminju-Le Sapeur

Photo by Antony Kaminju | Courtesy of bbc.co.uk

Dandy Lion takes a glance at urban Black Dandies who like their continental African counterparts, Le Sapeur of Brazzaville, Congo, embody style, sophistication and a commitment to culture via dramatized masculinity. This exhibition is an examination and approbation of the contemporary dandy in Diasporan settings.

Anthony Kaminju-Le Sapeur

Photo by Antony Kaminju | Courtesy of bbc.co.uk

Dandy Lion is an homage to the fashionable urban gentleman – an African Diasporan man of style, an urban connoisseur of sophistication and a contemporary man of SWAG.

Le SAPE (The Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes) translated to "The society for people of elegance and ambiance" is an exclusive club where members have their own code of honour, codes of professional conduct and strict notions of morality. Members (sapeurs) adhere to a few basic tenets of the le sapeur philosophy:

A Congolese Sapeur is a happy man even if he does not eat, because wearing proper clothes feeds the soul and gives pleasure to the body.
A real Sapeur needs to be cultivated and speak fluently, but also have a solid moral ethic: that means beyond the appearance and vanity of smart, expensive clothing there is the moral nobility of the individual.
When the Sapeur expresses himself through the harmony of his clothes, he is returning his admiration to God.
A Sapeur does not shed blood. Your clothes do all the fighting for you, otherwise you are not fit to be called a Sapeur.

African Diasporan photographers regardless of gender are invited to submit entries to the Dandy Lion exhibition.

In order for your submission to be considered complete, applicants are kindly required to forward ALL of the items below:

Please submit 5-10 jpeg images with a description for each piece (title, medium, dimensions, date(s) of completion).
CV or Resume.
Artist Statement – as it relates specifically to the exhibition’s topic.
Brief bio.
For video art, email link or file. (Must be Quicktime compatible).

NOTE: Write your name and DANDY LION in SUBJECT LINE

The curator will accept resized images via email that are in medium or small format. You may also send a URL of images. (Please be prepared to forward larger files upon request if selected). Two types of submissions will be accepted for consideration: Pre-existing work on the topic and new work created specifically for this exhibition.

In addition to portraits, please consider creating a more complex view of Dandy Lions and capturing the essence of them in their environment - who they are behind the scenes, what makes them "dandy", how they live, where they live and what is their lifestyle of choice.

Forward submissions and questions to:

Shantrelle P. Lewis at shantology@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is August 15, 2011 with the exhibition showing in:

Amsterdam-September 2011

New Jersey-October 2011 through January 2012.

For more queries and information on the exhibition, please contact;

Shantrelle P. Lewis
Director of Programming and Exhibitions
Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI)
408 W 58th Street
New York NY 10019
Tel: 212-307-7420 ext 3008
Fax: 212-315-1086
shantology@gmail.com
www.cccadi.org

Posted By: Allan Kapten

skip to top

Your Comments

skip to top

African Artists Portfolios

Click To View All African Artist Portfolios

Kaafiri Kariuki at the Creativity Gallery

Shades of Time: An exhibition by Kaafiri Kariuki at the Creativity Gallery National Museum of Kenya

News By Regions

Featured Artist Portfolio

Title: Making Ways
Name: Tabitha Wa Thuku
Country: Kenya
Medium: Mixed media on heavy canvas
Size: 149 X 140 cms
Click here to view