American Gothic, Washington, D.C., 1942. Gordon Parks, Courtesy of the Gordon Parks Foundation

Test of Time: Deborah Willis

Photography Through the Lens of AI

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Foam Magazine #67 The Test of Time

In conjunction with artist Tyler Mitchell's first solo <a href="/museum/programme/tyler-mitchell">exhibition</a>, Foam is organising On Feeling Good, an event dedicated to the work and inspirations of this emerging talent.

The event opens with a lecture by Deborah Willis, University Professor and Chair of the Department of Photography &amp; Imaging at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, where Tyler Mitchell received his BFA. Having followed Mitchell&rsquo;s artistic development closely over the years, Willis has unique insight into his practice and motivation. She will contextualise his work from a historical perspective of black photographers and photography of black people, before entering the conversation with the artist himself to examine his sources of inspiration more closely.
INSPIRED BY GRACE WALES BONNER Fashion designer and cultural polymath Grace Wales Bonner is one such source of inspiration for Mitchell. Working as contemporaries in their respective fields, their visions meet in their understanding of fashion as a means to explore ideas of identity and self-expression, with a specific focus on the male black body. With a research approach that draws on a variety of references, the two creators will exchange insights on their work processes. At the end of the programme, the floor will be open for questions.
ATTENTION: this event is sold out
The conversations will be moderated by Mirelva Berghout, project coordinator at Foam.
Visit this event and other&nbsp;<a href="/museum/programme/for-members">events</a> as a <a href="/about/memberships">Foam Member</a>.
Read more about the exhibition&nbsp;Tyler Mitchell - I Can Make You Feel Good, on view at Foam from 19 April until 5 June 2019&nbsp;<a href="/museum/programme/tyler-mitchell">here</a>. The exhibition Tyler Mitchell - I Can Make You Feel Good is made possible by Kleurgamma Fine-Art Photolab and AAP-lab. Foam is supported by the BankGiro Loterij, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, City of Amsterdam, Foam Members, Olympus and the VandenEnde Foundation.

<div class="sidebar__content">Event info 
Friday 19 April 2019 17.00 - 18.30 hrs
 ATTENTION This event is sold out PRICE &euro;10,00 regular rate &euro;8,00&nbsp;<a href="/about/memberships" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Foam Members</a> *including drink at Foam Caf&eacute;
 LANGUAGE English </div>

On Feeling Good

On 17 August at Tolhuistuin in Amsterdam, various experts will discuss Gordon Parks&rsquo; use of photography as a weapon against poverty, racism and social inequality.

The conditions under which Parks&rsquo; photography, literature and films originated offer a basis for discussing current social matters on emancipation and representation of black identity in photography. During the event Weapon of Choice: Photography and Black Representation, Gordon Parks&acute; influence as a storyteller and his role in breaking new ground for African American artists will be discussed.
Art historian, curator and professor Deborah Willis is the keynote speaker of the programme. She will give an historical overview of black representation in photography with an emphasis on the work of Gordon Parks. The following guests will contribute to the event:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Kim Knoppers, Foam, curator of the exhibition Gordon Parks &ndash; I Am You. Selected Works 1942-1978;</li>
<li>Nana Adusei-Poku (PhD), independent scholar and writer- on contemporary visual culture and black representation;</li>
<li>Ren&eacute;e Mussai on The Black Chronicles - a project by Autograph ABP (UK) that focuses on exploring black presences in 19th and early 20th-century Britain;</li>
<li>Guillermo Blinker, spoken word artist and contemporary dancer- performance; about media imaging and police brutality.</li>
<li>The Black Archives,&nbsp;a unique collection of books, archives and artefacts, which contains the legacy of Surinamese and black writers, scientists and movements, whose stories in the Netherlands have remained invisible for a long time. &nbsp;</li>
</ul>
The evening will begin and end with music by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/lionkojo">Lion Kojo</a>.
The exhibition Gordon Parks - I Am You. Selected Works 1942-1978 is made possible with support from the American Embassy and the Democracy and Media Foundation. With special thanks to The Gordon Parks Foundation. Foam is supported by the BankGiro Loterij, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, Delta Lloyd, the City of Amsterdam, Olympus and the VandenEnde Foundation.

<div class="sidebar__content">EVENT INFO 
17 August 2017 19.00 - 21.30 hrs.
&nbsp;
PRICE &euro; 5,00
&gt; fully booked &lt;&nbsp; 
LOCATION Tolhuistuin Tolhuisweg 3 Amsterdam <a href="https://www.google.nl/maps/dir/''/Tolhuisweg+3,+1031+CL+Amsterdam/data=!4m5!4m4!1m0!1m2!1m1!1s0x47c609b393d741bf:0x3187b69f33314516?sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjtmqTGuZ3VAhXIWhoKHSF_AkIQwwUIKTAA">Directions</a></div>

Deborah Willis

Test of Time: American Gothic by Gordon Parks

Foam Magazine #67 The Test of Time

On Feeling Good

Black representation through photography