Voguing with Rashaad Newsome

Ann Shafer

Here’s another one that got away. And at my very last opportunity before leaving the museum, too. Rashaad Newsome’s 2016 set of lithographs were front and center in Tamarind’s booth at the 2017 Baltimore Contemporary Print Fair. The five lithographs are part of a larger project that begins with a performance of five dancers voguing, which was captured by an Xbox Kinect the artist reprogrammed. Five classic voguing dance forms were performed. The energetic swirls of their movements were captured digitally and subsequently translated into both sculptures and prints. Check out this video of Tornado Revlon.
 
In the performance, each dancer—all of whom are well known in the voguing world—performs a different move: a catwalk is performed by Star Revlon; rapid hand movements are performed by Tornado Revlon; duck walking is performed by Justin Monster Labeija; spin dips are performed by Davon Amazon; and floor work is performed by Jamel Prodigy. For the Tamarind lithographs, the digitally tracked movements are printed in different colors, and a tiny plastic body part that indicates which part was tracked is collaged onto each print. They are 29 ¾ x 42 inches each. I knew they would both have wall power and draw people in.
 
Newsome’s work looks at agency and privilege, asking who gets it, when, and why. Vogue balls, events that became widely known through the 1990 film Paris is Burning, is currently the subject of an FX series called Pose, which is streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and elsewhere. I imagine that people in the voguing world have mixed feelings about being put under a microscope and portrayed by actors, particularly since vogue balls have always been recognized as safe spaces for Black and queer people. But that moniker “safe space” implies outsiders aren’t welcome. What do you do when Hollywood comes calling?
 
Newsome’s performance regains agency for the performers themselves (Newsome is a part of the community) and brings it to the fine art world. Just as balls are safe spaces, I would postulate that artmaking is a safe space, too. In their need to investigate themes, problems, and ideas deeply, artists must have their own safe spaces where ideas are put through the conceptual sausage grinder and are transformed into something that starts conversations and spurs thinking and feeling. I like the parallels.
 
You may recall I love the idea of taking dance/movement to the walls of a gallery (see my post about Trisha Brown). Works that cross disciplines have always interested me. But also because performance art is difficult to collect because of its ephemerality, I appreciate creative ways of capturing it. Just as Stan Shellabarger’s walking book (see earlier post) was the product of its own creation, Newsome’s prints capture performance through digital tracking technology. I am not particularly interested in performance art through documentary photographs. Newsome’s tracked movements translated into a jumble of frenetic energy are more evocative of the performance than any photograph could ever be.
 
I thought it would be a great fit for the collection. Truthfully, I can’t recall which straw man quashed the acquisition. While I got used to disappointments over the years, I can still conjure the feeling of frustration. I used to always say: “I should have been a collector.” Oh well, guess I’ll just keep writing about it.
 
Rashaad Newsome (American, born 1979)
Published by Tamarind Institute
FIVE SFMOMA, 2016
Five multi-color lithographs with 3D-printed and collage elements; and silver-leaf or pearlescent dusting
Sheet (each): 29 3/4 x 42 inches
 
Rashaad Newsome (American, born 1979)
Published by Tamarind Institute
Catwalk (Star Revlon), from the portfolio FIVE SFMOMA, 2016 
Color lithograph with 3D-printed and collage elements; and silver-leaf or pearlescent dusting
Sheet: 29 3/4 x 42 inches

Rashaad Newsome (American, born 1979)
Published by Tamarind Institute
Hands (Tornado Revlon), from the portfolio FIVE SFMOMA, 2016 
Color lithograph with 3D-printed and collage elements; and silver-leaf or pearlescent dusting
Sheet: 29 3/4 x 42 inches
 
Rashaad Newsome (American, born 1979)
Published by Tamarind Institute
Duck Walking (Juston Monster Labeija), from the portfolio FIVE SFMOMA, 2016 
Color lithograph with 3D-printed and collage elements; and silver-leaf or pearlescent dusting
Sheet: 29 3/4 x 42 inches
 
Rashaad Newsome (American, born 1979)
Published by Tamarind Institute
Spin Dips (Davon Amazon), from the portfolio FIVE SFMOMA, 2016 
Color lithograph with 3D-printed and collage elements; and silver-leaf or pearlescent dusting
Sheet: 29 3/4 x 42 inches
 
Rashaad Newsome (American, born 1979)
Published by Tamarind Institute
Floor Performance (Jamel Prodigy), from the portfolio FIVE SFMOMA, 2016 
Color lithograph with 3D-printed and collage elements; and silver-leaf or pearlescent dusting
Sheet: 29 3/4 x 42 inches

Rashaad Newsome (American, born 1979). Published by Tamarind Institute. FIVE SFMOMA, 2016. Five multi-color lithographs with 3D-printed and collage elements; and silver-leaf or pearlescent dusting. Sheet (each): 29 3/4 x 42 inches.

Rashaad Newsome (American, born 1979). Published by Tamarind Institute. Catwalk (Star Revlon), from the portfolio FIVE SFMOMA, 2016 . Color lithograph with 3D-printed and collage elements; and silver-leaf or pearlescent dusting. Sheet: 29 3/4 x 42 inches.

Rashaad Newsome (American, born 1979). Published by Tamarind Institute. Hands (Tornado Revlon), from the portfolio FIVE SFMOMA, 2016 . Color lithograph with 3D-printed and collage elements; and silver-leaf or pearlescent dusting. Sheet: 29 3/4 x 42 inches.

Rashaad Newsome (American, born 1979). Published by Tamarind Institute. Duck Walking (Juston Monster Labeija), from the portfolio FIVE SFMOMA, 2016. Color lithograph with 3D-printed and collage elements; and silver-leaf or pearlescent dusting. Sheet: 29 3/4 x 42 inches.

Rashaad Newsome (American, born 1979). Published by Tamarind Institute. Spin Dips (Davon Amazon), from the portfolio FIVE SFMOMA, 2016 . Color lithograph with 3D-printed and collage elements; and silver-leaf or pearlescent dusting. Sheet: 29 3/4 x 42 inches.

Rashaad Newsome (American, born 1979). Published by Tamarind Institute. Floor Performance (Jamel Prodigy), from the portfolio FIVE SFMOMA, 2016. Color lithograph with 3D-printed and collage elements; and silver-leaf or pearlescent dusting. Sheet: 29 3/4 x 42 inches.