앙트완 사전트
오는 10월, 버버리는 런던 사치 갤러리와의 파트너십을 통해 사치 갤러리의 최신 전시, '뉴 블랙 뱅가드(The New Black Vanguard)'를 선보입니다. 이 전시는 앙트완 사전트(Antwaun Sargent)의 책을 바탕으로 흑인 크리에이터들의 중요성을 포함해 흑인의 삶을 조명합니다.
작가이자 비평가로 활동하고 있는 앙트완 사전트는 큐레이터로도 잘 알려져 있으며, 이번 전시에서 버버리 전용 공간을 큐레이팅해 정체성, 아름다움, 욕망에 관한 새로운 세대의 개념을 표현합니다. 버버리와의 파트너십으로 완성된 사진과 영상 작품을 통해 앙트완 사전트의 작업에서 핵심으로 자리해 온 '패션과 예술의 만남, 그리고 그것이 지닌 혁신과 포용적 가능성'을 살펴볼 수 있습니다. 앙트완 사전트와의 인터뷰에서 그의 예술적 원동력에 대한 자세한 이야기를 확인해 보세요.
Photographer: Chase Hall
Burberry: Your book ‘The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion’ helped change the discourse of inclusivity in the art space – how did you coin the phrase ‘The New Black Vanguard’ and what does it mean to you?
Antwaun: ‘The New Black Vanguard’ is my way of describing this contemporary emerging cohort of young photographers, all of whom are employing the camera as a means of contemplating the Black experience through the intersection of art and fashion – two industries that have historically been dominated by white narratives. The phrase isn’t restricted to a technical definition but nods to a constantly evolving space of young creatives unafraid to uproot historical conventions. ‘The New Black Vanguard’ is not about simply sparking a moment of recognition for underrepresented artists but for outlining an expansive amorphous space that invites more artists into the discourse.
You’re fiercely passionate about spotlighting Black creatives – what drew you to the fifteen artists featured at ‘The New Black Vanguard’ exhibition who are also featured in your book?
Each of the chosen photographers are rethinking the spaces they inhabit and the audiences they cater or confront. From Tyler Mitchell’s landscapes to Awol Erizku’s staging, there is no mistaking the innovative nature each of these artists narratively invoke through their work.
Through making noise about and space for Black creatives, you’ve already had a profound effect on the art world. What’s your underlying mission?
I have always been interested in engaging with artists that contemplate and confront issues of identity, race, and representation through an array of mediums, genres, industries, even, and artistic processes. It’s about recognising voices that for too long have been overlooked by dominant narratives in the industry and uplifting them in a way that is conducive to the artist and surrounding discourse. That, at its core, has been central in all of my work.
”'뉴 블랙 뱅가드'는 단순히 소외된 예술가들에 대한 인식 제고의 기회를 넘어, 더 많은 예술가들이 이러한 담론에 참여할 수 있도록 일종의 방대한 무형의 공간을 마련하는 시도라고 볼 수 있다.”
What do you look for in a piece of art?
When I’m looking at art, I’m looking for something new. I am interested in work that sparks new conversations and opens up opportunities that may have not been present in the past.
What photographers are on your radar at the moment?
Tyler Mitchell, Deana Lawson, Awol Erizku, Renell Medrano and Liz Johnson Artur.
You’ve worked with a host of global changemakers, artists and creators in your career so far – who has inspired you the most and why?
At the moment, I’ve been working a lot with Tyler Mitchell. We just opened two presentations of his in London during October. The first at Gagosian Davies Street and for the second we supported his 2022 Frieze Masters exhibition where he became the first contemporary artist commissioned to show at the fair. It’s been fantastic to witness him articulate ideas through new photographs, works on fabric and mirror, and a new installation, which reflects on historical motifs in the context of an Edenic vision of Black beauty and desire.
What’s the future of contemporary photography?
The future of contemporary photography is young, and with some artists, it’s already here. It’s a future that is not concerned with personal gain but in collectively showcasing a new narrative that rejects all notions of ‘dominance’ put forth by whiteness. It affects and calls attention to the way blackness is portrayed and perceived by Black and non-black audiences. The future is unafraid; it’s insistent; and it demands to be seen.
You’ve long discussed the synergy between fashion and art – where and how do you think they intersect?
I have this intense interest in the ‘in-between’ and fashion and art have always found themselves in conversation with each other. Basquiat walking for Comme De Garcon, YSL referencing Mondrian, Kerry James Marshall collaborating with Grace Wales Bonner. The synergy is decades old, and I have many projects that contemplate the intersection in a way that helps to bring context and history to that space in the art and fashion world.
What’s the best advice you ever received as an up-and-coming young Black creative?
Stay true to yourself.
What is the best advice you can offer to up-and-coming young Black artists and creatives?
Put yourself and your work out there, that’s the biggest step. Don’t be afraid to push back against what is deemed ‘conventional’ or ‘universal.’ These no longer hold the weight they once were perceived to.