On December 16th in Chelsea, Art Groove hosted an unimaginable night of artistry with some of New York City’s most creative visionaries. Their mission as an organization, is to highlight as well as uplift artists by providing them access to safe spaces for showcasing their work, whether it be in the form of art, fashion or music. As a result of this, Art Groove aids in the growth of each creative so they can build their audience, network with others and grasp the attention of potential buyers.

Art enthusiasts were greeted at the door upon entering an atmosphere full of wonder and amazement. Each artist had their own individual sections, where all guests were welcome to stop by and admire their work. Considering there were about 40 distinct artists at this event, the creativity and authenticity overflowed the room. However, three of them brought to life unforgettable, compelling and aesthetically pleasing pieces, whose story will leave you in awe.

Jenesis Brown A.K.A. @Sourrpatchh_

Jenesis Brown, is currently an 18 year old, School of Visual Arts student, majoring in comics. Her story begins from before she even learned to walk, since she drew on any wall within her sight of vision as a baby. However, it was not until she was 10 years old playing the well established game, Angry Birds, when her curiosity of digital art and graphics sprouted. Furthermore, she was originally inspired stylistically by the anime Soul Eater, as well as the animated shows Steven Universe and The Boondocks, all before entering high school.

I just thought it was so cool how in Steven Universe, their shape could say so much about and match their personality. Pearl was very triangular shaped, and Garnett was very square shaped. Meanwhile, Soul Eater drew me to traditional and digital drawing, since I loved their art style and animation so much.

Every artist has their own inspiration for their ideas and concepts. As for Brown, she heavily relies upon her vivid imagination to bring everything together into one cohesive canvas or her iPad. However at times stylistically, the shows previously mentioned, help stimulate her mind when she is ready to begin her next project.

Fortunately, one day Brown stumbled upon an ad for the Art Groove showcase, and the rest was history. Although she did not have recent work, she was determined to gain as much exposure as possible, in order to grow as an artist. Nonetheless, Brown exhibited a plethora from her portfolio, but three in particular were immensely wondrous and spectacular.

Originally this piece was for my mom who really likes butterflies. When I completed it, I printed it on a shirt and gifted it to my mother for her birthday, who still wears it to this day.

Brown knew this artwork would be relatable to the entire community of Black women and is a powerful statement overall, that Black hair is beauty in itself. Throughout the course of history, natural hair has been deemed as “unprofessional” and “ghetto” by society, even to this very day. Hence why representation is so drastically indispensable. Therefore, when artists cater to a community that is constantly disrespected and underrepresented, it makes their art even more memorable, influential and effective.

With hair being a big part of our culture, I see this concept a lot with Black women and afros. I wanted to express that in this piece here. It’s upsetting to see how Black people are restricted from wearing their hair naturally in a professional and even a sports setting. I encourage my community to embrace their natural hair in whatever way they choose to style it. In a lot of my work I cater to the Black community, because it is not often you see yourself in artwork.

This digital art design was heavily inspired by the anime, Akira, during an iconic, graphic and significant scene, in which the character, Kaneda, slides on his motorcycle with steam coming out of it. It was not intentional, but during the process of creating this piece, Brown realized the similarities between her artwork and Akira. Considering how prominent it is in the world of anime, this scene is referenced in other artworks by independent artists, as well as official studios.

When drawing this piece there were a lot of intricate parts and things I had to draw that I was not familiar with, but it was interesting learning more about motorcycles and my abilities as an artist. In real life I do admire them because of their complex and sleek build, which helped flesh out my ideas.

For this third art piece, Brown once again did not have an exact reference or inspiration for it, but rather drew what came to mind in the moment. However, she later realized, while creating this artwork, she was subconsciously mirroring her current emotions of irritation, agony and uncomfortableness, as a result of her menstrual cycle. It is a commonality amongst women to endure bodily and mental changes during this time, which can set off a variation of irregular emotions, compared to that of their usual state of being.

Although Brown was used to creating art with choppy and sharp lines for the hair of her subjects, this time around she stepped outside her comfort zone. In fact, she focused more on implementing a curved and loose look to compliment the idea of being submerged in blood.

Furthermore, Brown’s aspirations for her future as an artist are to receive more opportunities to showcase her work at galleries and to venture out into other mediums of art besides digital, including painting and sketching.

I just want people to appreciate my pieces. If it looks appealing to you and it sticks with you that is my goal. It is very interesting and fun to see other people’s interpretation of it. This leads me to look at my art in a different light and build the connections between the way I intended my art to be and the way someone else perceives it.

Damany Campbell A.K.A. @damanycampbell

Creative visionary, photographer, and mixed media artist, Damany Campbell, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, took over the night at Art Groove with his timeless illustrious work. He grew up surrounded by art, considering his father, Leroy Campbell, is an artist himself, who will be honored on February 3rd at the Brooklyn Museum. Over the course of his young adult years, Campbell began his creative career as a performance artist specializing in acting and dancing. He eventually worked as a production assistant, when he realized he wanted to be on camera. However, it wasn’t until one day when his friend requested a photoshoot by him, he realized what his true talent and love is. Interestingly enough, his wife Allaya Cooks-Campbell, gifted him the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, which he uses to this very day.

With his high attention to detail and exceptional organizational skills, Campbell decided to create three Instagram pages for his work. His main page and focus, @damanycampbell, is predominantly used for editorial work, as well as where he welcomes people of color to gain exposure to build their portfolio. Secondly, his page @damanycampbellart, is used as an exhibit in which art enthusiasts can take a peek into some of his incredible artistry. Thirdly, is @damanycampbell_boudoir, which specifically focuses on his boudoir and body positive photography.

I enjoyed all the intricacies of the human body from a perspective that is not entirely rooted in sex. I like the subtleties of the neck and the collar bone, as well as the way the hands are poised. There are so many nuances of the human body that can be struck as beautiful and can convey powerful messages in photography, and boudoir became my access to this art.

As the professional he is, Campbell has a step-by-step process with his clients for all photoshoots. He begins with a consultation, in order to tailor-make their concepts. Considering he embarked on his journey as a body positive photographer, Campbell has consistently ensured gaining a better understanding of what his subjects are most confident in and what their insecurities are, for their comfortability. Subsequently, he creates a mood board of images which may pique their interest for hair, makeup, and attire, to ultimately create a vision of what is needed to bring everything together. Lastly, when it is photoshoot day, Campbell welcomes his clients into his 420 and alcohol friendly studio, as a way to help them unwind and acquire more comfortability, if they see fit. Additionally, he plays music to ease any tension and create a home-welcoming environment.

According to Campbell, when he began taking photography seriously, especially in the boudoir world, he noticed how heavily centered and predominantly focused it was on white women. Simultaneously, he realized the grand desire in society to emulate Black features, as well as how immensely they are fetishized and looked at as objects. Therefore, Campbell wished to take Black bodies and create a safe space for them to be seen as the beauty they are.

Black bodies are not valued as great in society as they are in art. When looking at nudity especially when it is of a Black body, people highly sexualize it rather than just view the beauty behind it. I want black women and their bodies to be seen for what they are subjectively and to be viewed as art, the same way white bodies are. This is why I consider myself a very pro-Black body positive photographer. I love to focus on Black and brown people, in all of our hues from light-skin to dark-skin. Nudity is supposed to represent freedom, being untethered and vulnerability.

During the night of Art Groove’s showcase, Campbell presented a plethora of his boudoir work, leaving the audience wonderstruck as they scanned the room. Three in particular: “Sonder”, “Empathy” and “Mona Lisa Spine”, have an undeniably inspirational and striking story, Campbell could not wait to reveal.

Specifically, “Sonder” and “Empathy” are a part of his project called “Lisa Wins”, considering his good friend Lisa Charlene was battling a potentially life-threatening health condition at the time. Campbell truly desired to catch her everlasting beauty and resilience during her time of need. Thankfully, today she has not only beaten her illness, but continues to shine like the light she is and thrive every single day.

I found her strength to be powerful, so I wanted to capture her in an opportunity to show grace and fortitude as well as an indomitable spirit.

“Sonder”

Sonder is the profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passing in the street, have a life as complex as one’s own, which they are constantly living despite one’s personal lack of awareness of it. In society people most commonly make a first impression of strangers and create a perception of who they are, based on their first encounter or first sight, without truly getting to know and understand them. Therefore, the idea with this shoot is to reveal, from an immediate first glance, one may solely perceive Lisa as the beautiful woman she is, without acknowledging the possibility of her facing internal hardships deep beneath the surface.

It is very easy to look at an image and just see it for what it is. But my goal with my photography has always been to get people to consider what is happening beyond the naked form. With this picture there is one thing on the surface, but beyond this naked body is an entire person with ideas, feelings, life, and struggles, which is why I named it Sonder.

“Empathy”

This photo represents sisterhood, connection, shared experience and compassion. While Campbell was on set for two individual bookings with both Knomi and Lisa on the same day, he suddenly wondered about the outcome of a conjoined shoot with both sensational models. Fortunately, they were interested in the idea, accepted his request and let their elegance, as well as Campbell’s photographic insight do the rest.

“Mona Lisa Spine”

The backstory behind, “Mona Lisa Spine”, began with a friend requesting to do a naked photoshoot with Campbell. According to him, because of the texture of her back, especially considering how natural and unembellished it is, this picture is one of the most enchanting he’s ever captured. As a body positive photographer, Campbell typically edits his subjects to merely fix their posture, thus establishing a better alignment of their body, rather than altering their features.

To me this photo represents the line of the beauty of black bodies and body positivity. I found her stretch marks to be beautiful and raw, which is not seen a lot in this day and age, with everyone editing their photos. There are times when I am not doing a collaboration, but rather have a paid client, so I will edit as they desire. However, for the most part I love keeping my clients’ bodies as natural as possible. Flaws are your fingerprint, and your beauty exists inside them. That is what’s going to attract your person to you, and they will love every single one, despite how you view them.

Photography is an art and is a skillset that can take a lifetime to master a portion of it. Therefore, Campbell advises others with aspirations of becoming a professional photographer, to be passionate and serious about their craft, as well as to do it for the right reasons.

A lot of people gravitate towards my content, because of the powerful gravitational pull towards it. It also gives people of color a chance to see themselves reflected in art; in a way they have not seen before.

Although Campbell is currently in an era of reinvention and exploration, his future goals are to be more widely known as a photographer, inspire others to pursue their passions in the best way possible and to create opportunities for his loved ones to grow artistically.

Isaiah Hayden A.K.A. @Zae.vsl

Sophomore at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Isaiah Hayden, is a Gen Z artist who’s not afraid to make a powerful statement. According to Hayden, art has always been an extension of who he is and helped paved a way of expression for himself. He grew up in a creative household, considering his father graduated from FIT and his brother from Suny Purchase, both with a degree in graphic design. From his adolescence, Hayden would create tattoo designs for his fellow peers which undoubtedly motivated him to continuously pursue art.

Hayden knew how competitive the art industry is and therefore utilized every single avenue, as well as resources he could find to his advantage. Furthermore, upon hearing about the organization of Art Groove, he applied for the security position with the hopes of one day receiving the opportunity to showcase his artwork. During this time, Hayden worked diligently to network his way into being a part of an upcoming exhibit, and shortly after, his plan came to light.

Regarding his art style, Hayden is heavily influenced by the one and only neo-expressionist artist, as well as creative genius, Jean-Michel Basquiat. Secondly, Hayden is inspired by his daily experiences and thus incorporates his personal life, as well as his emotions into his artistry. Lastly, he enjoys watching other artists better the quality of their craft and stay consistent on their path, which thus motivates him to do the same.

I respect Basquiat so much, because he freely expressed all of the thoughts in his mind and effortlessly put them on a canvas. I truly relate to his thought process.

When brainstorming for his next work of art, Hayden reminisced on the Black Panther Party, an African American revolutionary group deeply rooted in Black nationalism, empowerment, socialism and armed self-defense primarily against police brutality. This group initially originated with the idea of solely patrolling Black neighborhoods against racist and inhumane acts from the police. However, as it spread across the nation, it grew into something more powerful, with the idea of true freedom for all African Americans.

For a long time, I have been wanting to create a Black Panther piece, because it is such a great inspiration to me. I just wanted to wait for my skills to develop. I studied their movement heavily, and I truly appreciate how they fought for their own freedoms within their neighborhoods.

“Revolutionaries”

From the beginning, Hayden knew having a center focus, as well as presenting a more mature and reminiscent feel to his piece was essential. Therefore, he made the decision to embrace Black beauty by drawing a woman with a captivating afro in the center of the canvas, as well as utilizing an outdated fabric for the poster, one similar to what was used in the late 1900s. According to Hayden, the red in this poster was the first color to come to mind, but more importantly, resonates with the imagery of the Black Panther Party’s time period. Furthermore, he wanted this piece to make a significant statement, allowing his viewers to reflect on what power is, as well as who truly holds it.

Most people believe since the government is in power, the officials are automatically wiser and at a higher level than the rest of us. I think it is just important to see that parts of the government have always been corrupt and on multiple occasions failed at solving the problems they promised to fix. Sometimes it will take others to rise up and solve them themselves. That is what the Black Panthers did, they fought for their freedoms.

All in all, Hayden wished to achieve a fully thought out piece that represents the Black Panther Party’s mission in a modern way with classic touches. He believes ultimate power is within ourselves, and if change is necessary, sometimes taking a stand within your community is more effective than waiting for the government to even realize and consider worthy the depths of a particular issue.

Hayden is abundantly overjoyed with finally living in New York City, considering this is where he receives his college education. Moving forward he hopes to take more advantage of the possibilities he has available to him now by living in such a robust, diverse, and opportunistic city, compared to when he resided upstate. Therefore, he wishes to be more vocal with others and network as much as possible. Additionally, he is thrilled to become knowledgeable on the complexities of both traditional and digital art.

I’d love to one day be a creative director myself and establish events for creatives to showcase their work. I want to build some kind of community, where I can host pop up and social events for them, whether it be painters, photographers or clothing designers.

Considering, art is exceedingly expressive and intimate, he wholeheartedly believes an artist’s truest form of work comes from within their mind and soul. Although one can accept advice from another, nothing is more pure than creating something special from the heart.

I feel like art is 99% based on the artist’s own thoughts and feelings. People cannot teach you that, so I would advise others to just be themselves and create whatever you’re comfortable with. Not everything will come out good or perfect, it’s just about getting the practice in. Basketball players shoot a lot at practice, and they will not make every shot, but that is what it’s all about. It’s important to get those hours of sketching in and gain that muscle memory. Most importantly, have grace with yourself, it’s your story.