~CHESTER HIGGINS JR. at TEKSERVE . . .
FILE UNDER: DOCS RULE, as in DOCUMENTARY !! and give me those flashlight totin’ Maale girls – any day.
ART@TEKSERVE is pleased to present an in-store exhibit of the private and – way glorious – photographs of NEW YORK TIMES STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER – CHESTER HIGGINS JR.
titled: ‘MY SOUL FLIES HOME TO AFRICA’ – ‘IMAGES FROM AN ONGOING JOURNEY’ – the exhibit will run MAY 5 – JUNE 12, 2012.
TEKSERVE cordially invites y’all to an opening celebration reception – tomorrow, SAT MAY 5, 2012 – from noon to 2 PM.
ETHIOPIAN treats will be served, as well as specially brewed Ethiopian coffee. (and just between us !! – there might also be something just a ‘tiny’ bit stronger served up in plastic cups – to go along with – the party spirit.) as well, DJ UNIVERSE will be in the house – rocking out all kinds of African beats.
and of course, MR CHESTER HIGGINS JR. himself, will be present for the party !! so feel welcome to come by, and say hello.
further on WED MAY 9, 2012 – there will be an ARTIST’S TALK & SLIDE SHOW with Chester Higgins – that will begin at 6:30 PM and is also open to all.
in the talk, titled: ‘In the Divine Spirit of Africa’ – Mr. Higgins will discuss the sacred rituals and ceremonies he has witnessed and photographed.
TEKSERVE – 119 W. 23rd ST – just a couple of doors west of 6th AVE – in CHELSEA
CHESTER HIGGINS JR. in EGYPT – PHOTO COURTESY: TEKSERVE
ABOUT CHESTER HIGGINS:
JAN ALBERT, the show’s curator, tells us:
A staff photographer for the The New York Times since 1974, Chester Higgins’ photographs have also appeared in Look, Life, Newsweek, Fortune, Ebony, Essence, Black Enterprise, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, and Archaeology.
He has had one-man exhibitions at the ICP/International Center of Photography, The Museum of Photographic Arts, The Smithsonian Institute, The Museum of African Art, Musee Dapper, The Schomburg Center, NYU’s Kimmel center, and The New York Historical Society.
Every year, for about the past 40 years (!!) – he travels through AFRICA for 6 weeks, camping out in the mountains and desert, and training people he meets along the way to help operate the portable studio he uses to “capture authentic moments” that resonate with people around the world.
“AS a 25-year-old, I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew that I was not traveling to Africa to see the animals.”
Chester Higgns Jr., who has been called “the preeminent photographer of the African Diaspora” grew up in ALABAMA before and during the Civil Rights era. The media images that dominated his childhood and a revelatory trip to AFRICA in his 20s were two events that helped crystallize his ambitious mission as a photographer, to “redefine the visual document as it relates to people of color.”
Since 1975, he’s returned to Africa more than 30 times to photograph the people, ancient sites, sacred rituals, and small town life in ETHIOPIA, MALI, SENEGAL & GHANA.
FROM MAY 5th – JUNE 13, 2012, a selection of Higgins’ photographs from 40 years of travel up the River Nile, plus some portraits of our African neighbors up the River Hudson, will be on view at TEKSERVE.
for more on Mr. Higgins & his work, see: CHESTER HIGGINS JR. – PHOTOGRAPHY
P.S. TALKING ABOUT . . . FASHION FORWARD – !! – STREET FASHION – !!
CHECK OUT – THESE COLORFUL GIRLS, from the MAALE TRIBE in ETHIOPIA – PICTURED BELOW – they EMPTY the batteries out of those FLASHLIGHTS – !! – they have in their hands – and CARRY their CASH and ESSENTIALS – inside. COOL, or what !! flashlight ‘totes’ . . . better watch – how you say that. whoa they look tough, the real deal. street smart.
dig those expressions, to die for – !! plus, we all know a young fashionista or two, even a Brooklyn one – who’d kill for those killer beads. so in, now. where’d ya get them ? ha. PLEATED SKIRTS !! you just know – that’s up next !! and the colors, shoo-fly, girl – you rule. footwear ? a little dusty, but right on point. except here those laced oxfords go for plenty. well into the 3 figures, and made in Italy – just saw them featured in the style section last week. and so, did you !! and you know it.
PHOTO: CHESTER HIGGINS JR. – GIRLS from the MAALE TRIBE, ETHIOPIA / image courtesy: TEKSERVE
PHOTO: CHESTER HIGGINS JR. – SURMA CHILD, WESTERN ETHIOPIA / image courtesy: TEKSERVE
ALL PHOTOS: COPYRIGHT CHESTER HIGGINS Jr.