LaToya Ruby Frazier on Gordon Parks’ inspiring legacy
American Gothic, Washington, D.C., 1942. Gordon Parks.
Courtesy of The Gordon Parks Foundation.
HUCK Magazine
November 10th, 2017
by Cian Traynor
LaToya Ruby Frazier on Gordon Parks’ inspiring legacy
Groundbreaking gravitas
As one of the most prominent voices to document American life in the 1950s and ’60s, Gordon Parks used his camera as a ‘weapon’ to fight racism, intolerance and poverty – paving the way for others to blur the line between artist and activist. LaToya Ruby Frazier is determined to further that legacy through social documentary that’s both personal and political.
I first encountered Gordon Parks’ work when I saw his American Gothic portrait of Ella Watson from 1942. That was the moment I realized photography is more than just taking pictures.
I learned that, through one dignified image, you could speak about your position as a black woman and how the value of your labour is viewed in society; you could show what inequality does to humanity while also capturing the strength shown in the face of it.
Courtesy of: HUCK Magazine
