THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2020 ST 3Arena
HIGHLIGHTS FROM TMAGAZINE.COMFor T’s #TBlackArtBlackLife Instagram series, we ask prominent Black American artists to share a work of art, whether their own or one created by another, that shows
Black people in moments of joy, hope, dignity, pride, sorrow or agency — in other words, in the fullness of life. Below are five works chosen by the artists Ayana V. Jackson,
Sadie Barnette, Kwasi Boyd-Bouldin, Dawoud Bey and Eli Reed, along with what each had to say about the selection. Follow @tmagazine for future installments.
Ayana V. Jackson
On her work “Moments of
Sweet Reprieve” (2016)
In this image, part of my series
“Intimate Justice in the Stolen
Moment,” my body is repre-
sented twice — seated and
lying in my own lap, providing
comfort to and for myself. It is
a depiction of self-care. I chose
this image because, histori-
cally in times of extreme dis-
tress, it is the Black communi-
ty that finds itself coming to its
own aid, providing and advo-
cating for its own needs. Much
of this happens behind the
scenes, out of view from oth-
ers. These two women dressed
in 19th-century clothing occu-
py a historical moment that
suggests they may be in servi-
tude or bondage. However, to
depict this stolen moment of
leisure allows us to considerother aspects of their realities.
Even an enslaved woman
might share a moment of es-
cape with a mother, a sister, a
lover — or she might choose to
be alone with herself. I made
the work in South Africa the
day Trump was elected. Going
into the studio was the best
way to care for myself on such
a disturbing day.Sadie BarnetteOn her work “The New Eagle
Creek Saloon was Here” (2019)The New Eagle Creek Saloon
WAS HERE. It existed. In 1990,
my father, Rodney Barnette,
opened the New Eagle Creek
Saloon to serve a multiracial
gay community marginalized
by the racist profiling practices
of San Francisco’s gay bar
scene. Located at 1884 Market
Street, the bar was a space of
celebration and resistance —
hosting fund-raisers for activ-
ist groups, honoring Black
holidays and heroes and par-
ticipating in the historic Mar-
ket Street vigils for those lost
to AIDS. Sammy “Le Creek”
was here and Frank a.k.a.
“Lady F” was here, and ances-tors whose name we can’t
recall were here and existed
and loved and danced and
struggled. How do I honor
history and those who made
history and hold space for
what can’t be remembered?
With this project, through
photography, a zine and host-
ing an actual bar space/sculp-
ture/monument, I introduce
the New Eagle Creek Saloon
into the channels of existing
queer histories but am also
manifesting its own archive,
which recognizes the limits of
‘official histories’ and cele-
brates the unknown and un-
knowable. The bar closed in
1993, but the legacy of its spirit
is embodied in its slogan: “A
friendly place, with a funky
Kwasi Boyd-Bouldin bass, for every race.”On “Flying High, Brownsville,
Brooklyn, 1982” by Jamel
ShabazzWhen I was in my 20s and still
figuring things out as a pho-
tographer, I stumbled upon a
copy of Jamel Shabazz’s “A
Time Before Crack” (2005) in
a bookstore in Los Angeles,
and it was like seeing a light —
the wheels started turning in a
different way. Here were pic-
tures that, apart from being
exceptionally good, presented
an authentic view of the pho-
tographer’s own city. I first
saw this image on the cover of
the Roots’ “Undun” album in
2011 and realized later that it
was one of his. I was actually
born in Brooklyn but have no
memory of living there (Imoved to L.A. when I was 2).
The boys in the picture give
me a sense of the neighbor-
hood I could have experienced
if my family hadn’t relocated.
To me the photo captures pure
joy. I go back to it, and toShabazz’s entire body of work,
quite often. His ability to por-
tray his world on his own
terms inspires me to double
down on doing the same when
I portray mine.Dawoud BeyOn his work “A Couple in
Prospect Park” (1990)Young Black men, and young
Black women, too, have a
world stacked against them,
one in which the larger society
tends to see them as social
types and not as fully human.
When I saw this young Black
couple strolling through
Prospect Park one afternoon, I
had to make a portrait of them.
The evident joy that they were
experiencing in each other’s
presence is something I
wanted to affirm. And because
this was positive/negative film,I was able to give them a small
print, an affirmation of their
young love. Now if young love
isn’t joy, I don’t know what is.Eli ReedOn his work “Mother and Son
in Bedford-Stuyvesant” (1986)I took this picture in the Bed-
Stuy neighborhood of Brook-
lyn in 1986. The day before, I
had done photography on a
New York magazine story
about the drug trade in one
section of this area. I saw this
woman on a neighborhood
street and asked if I could
come back the next day and
photograph her. When I did,
she brought me to the upstairs
of this house into a room full of
people sleeping. I sensed it
was a place people went when
they had nowhere else to go.
But her son was there and I
could tell there was more to
the story. She took such pride
in him, and was so clearly
doing what she needed to to
take care of him. The lights
were out in the room but there
can be light in a person, a
spark in the eyes. A lot of
people are going through
difficulties and you always
want to see them rise above,
and she was definitely that
person on that day.ARTS AND LETTERS
Celebrating the Fullness of Black Lives
COURTESY OF AYANA V. JACKSON AND MARIANE IBRAHIM GALLERYCOURTESY OF JAMEL SHABAZZA PROJECT OF THE SAN FRANCISCO ARTS COMMISSION’S ART ON MARKET STREET KIOSK POSTER SERIESCOURTESY OF DAWOUD BEYELI REED/MAGNUM PHOTOSIn late July, dozens of social media stars
flocked to the Hype House, a Hollywood
Hills mansion where several top TikTok cre-
ators live, for a birthday party. The décor
was glittery and pink, with balloons and sil-
ver streamers strewn about. Hello Kitty
strobe lights pulsed over a crowded dance
floor.
The scene, as portrayed on social media,
had an air of pre-pandemic normalcy. In
several videos from the party, no one is
wearing a mask.
Thomas Petrou, a founder of the Hype
House, told The Hollywood Fix that be-
tween 60 and 70 guests attended the party,
held on July 21 for one of the house’s resi-
dents, Larri Merritt, but hundreds more
crowded together outside, hoping to get in.
Those who made it past the door were a
who’s who of the internet: Emma Chamber-
lain, James Charles, Tana Mongeau, Charli
and Dixie D’Amelio, Nikita Dragun, the
Sway boys.
Mr. Petrou, 21, said that for creators, such
events aren’t just fun — they’re work. “Our
jobs are to entertain people,” he said in a
phone interview this week. “We live with
groups of people, and we are all intertwined
for work. We can’t put our entire lives on
hold for a year and not make any money.”
California, where coronavirus cases re-
mained low in the first few months of the
pandemic, has experienced a summer out-
break. It recently became the first state to
report half a million cases, according to a
database maintained by The New York
Times, and the infection rate has been espe-
cially high in Los Angeles County. Still,
many of its young residents keep partying.
The YouTuber Jake Paul recently hosted
an event at his home in Calabasas, where
guests swung from construction ma-
chinery. The TikTok stars Bryce Hall, Josh
Richards and Blake Gray partied with doz-
ens of fellow stars at the Sway Gaming
house on Monday night. On Tuesday, the
Nelk Boys, YouTube stars known for their
fratlike prank videos, uploaded footage
from a party to Instagram, a day after they
organized a packed meet-and-greet to pro-
test gym closures in California.
Seemingly every night, new party
footage surfaces online. Drama channels
and tea accounts, which fuel and chronicle
the feuds and scandals of the internet-fa-
mous, repackage the highlights and point
out notable guests.
Many creators have faced criticism for
posting about these parties, let alone host-
ing them. After the YouTuber Tyler Oakley
singled out the July 21 Hype House party on
Twitter, Mr. Merritt issued a public apology
for the birthday party held in his honor, ad-
mitting that it was a “dumb thing to do.” Ms.Mongeau and Mr. Charles also apologized
for attending the event.
On Wednesday, Mayor Eric Garcetti of
Los Angeles announced that in response to
the recent spate of parties, he would autho-
rize the city to shut off power and water to
any houses or businesses hosting large par-
ties or unauthorized gatherings beginning
on Friday night.
Malik Earnest, a 25-year-old creator in
Los Angeles, has attended several influenc-
er parties in recent months. “It’s like Covid
isn’t a thing when we’re at them,” he said.
He said he tries to stay responsible, but said
that showing face at events has helped his
career.
Mr. Earnest said that the apologies some
hosts and attendees had issued were placat-
ing and not a sign that behavior was chang-
ing. “I see these tweets, I’ve seen influenc-
ers get called out and apologize, then I see
them at a party the next weekend,” he said.
“It’s just to save face. They say what they
need to say on Twitter and Instagram then
live their life.”
Mai Linh Nguyen, a producer who has
worked for several top YouTube stars, said:
“These kids have been trying to be big on
social media for such a long time. Now, they
finally have it. They’re the ones to invite
kids to the cool party, instead of trying to get
the invite. Literally everyone on the inter-
net, even if they don’t know who they are by
name, is talking about them.”
Dennis Feitosa, a 20-something YouTu-
ber and comedian who has been document-
ing the events on social media, said that he
doesn’t see things slowing down anytime
soon. “There’s that saying in show business,
‘Talk bad, but talk about me.’ A lot of these
people are going with that philosophy.”
Mr. Petrou, of Hype House, said he and
his peers tried to stay responsible. “We’ve
been quarantined, all of us social media in-fluencers hang out every day,” he said. “All
of us get tested regularly, and 99 percent of
us don’t go home to our families.”
Whether influencers have been infected
with coronavirus is a topic of great specula-
tion. Nearly every TikTok collab house has
been rumored to have had infections, but
none would confirm any cases on the
record. Some, like the Clubhouse, have
banned parties and other social gatherings.
However, with no live-in supervision, it is up
to the influencers to enforce such rules.
Managers, agents and publicists have
tried speaking to their young clients about
the potential risks of their behavior, but few
have been able to break through.
“It’s a level of accountability they have to
have on themselves,” said Michael Gruen, a
founder of TalentX, a management firm that
represents many TikTokers. “It’s tough to
tell 18-year-olds who live in L.A. away from
their parents not to go out for two years.”
“Do I wish there wasn’t a party? Yeah.
But if it’s there, he’s going to film it,” Mr.
Gruen said, referring to one of his young cli-
ents. “I’d rather him go in, film it and leave,
than go and party all night and not film it.”
Even when the cameras aren’t rolling, in-
fluencers say the parties are a necessary
outlet in a time of extreme social isolation.
The TikTok star Hootie Hurley, 21, said that
while the parties in Los Angeles are most
conspicuous, on a recent trip home to Ar-
kansas and Oklahoma he saw many people
out at bars and clubs, none of them practic-
ing social distancing.
“A lot of people are depressed,” Mr. Hur-
ley said. “You can’t raise somebody to be
prepared to handle this. Every single per-
son is living a completely different life than
they did eight months ago and people han-
dle changes and pressure differently. Some
people crawl in a hole and isolate them-
selves, some people party.”What Virus? Social Media Stars Keep the Party Going
By TAYLOR LORENZFrom left, Tana Mongeau,
Bryce Hall (or at least one of
his tattoos) and Nikita Dragun
were among those attending
recent gatherings. One person
who has attended influencer
parties said, “It’s like Covid
isn’t a thing when we’re at
them.” Mayor Eric Garcetti of
Los Angeles last week
announced a crackdown on
large house parties.FROM LEFT: JOHANNES EISELE/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES;
MICHELLE GROSKOPF FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES; PHILLIP FARAONE/GETTY IMAGES