feature: brazilian photographer fagner damasceno and model rodrigo somalia channel political restlessness in “black is beautiful” editorial

Brazilian photographer Fagner Damasceno teams up with model Rodrigo Somalia for his new project where he explores and expresses the restlessness many black Brazilians are currently facing in a time of socioeconomic and political strife. The series, which is called “Black Is Beautiful” is, of course, a reference to the same slogan from the Black Liberation Movement and the famous Brazilian song by Elis Regina. Damasceno, who also describes himself as someone who is committed to addressing social causes, hopes that the fashion aesthetic of his editorial will offer some empowerment for local blacks who rarely see themselves in fashion-forward editorials. “Black Is Beautiful” has already been on exhibition in Porto Alegre.

Credits:
Photography Fagner Damasceno
Styling Paulo Saul
Model Rodrigo Somalia at Ford Models

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*Erin White is an Atlanta-based writer and AFROPUNK’s editorial and social media assistant. You can follow her on Tumblr or friend her on Facebook. Have a pitch or an inquiry? Shoot her an email at erin@afropunk.com.