Black Boy Fly: a book on the evolution of "black masculinity" A photographic collection mapping the modern and urban stories of black men
During the last seven years - i.e. at least since “Channel Orange” by Frank Ocean came out - the concept of masculinity in black culture began to change, evolving in a more fluid way, far from the prejudiced that caged “black masculinity”.
"Masculinity is something I still am trying to understand. It can get very complex. As a black man, society definitely tries to place us in boxes. I’m happy that people are continuing to break out of those boxes and simply be themselves. It's important for the younger generations to see".
Said Joshua Renfroe to nss magazine, the NYC-based photographer who recently published his first book “Black Boy Fly” — a photographic collection of more than 70 portraits of black men, aimed at telling the modern and urban story of black men. A 240-page book where Renfroe started from personal experience in order to tell the evolution of black men from his perspective:
"The inception of the book evolved from a personal charge to explore my artistic freedom while celebrating my blackness. After shooting for a year, I quickly fell in love with photography and began to think about my legacy as an artist".
The art world has also answered this will to investigate the role and essence of black masculinity in modern times: Philadelphia artist Shikeith recently curated an exhibition of images, video, and sculptures with the aim of exploring the complexity of the black body. Similar attempts were made by the London-based director Iggy LDN, with his first movie “Black Boys Don’t Cry”, or by the latest GQ cover story with Pharrell Williams “The New Masculinity Issue”. A process that “Black Boy Fly” tells admirably:
"In my book, I definitely ensured to showcase the beauty and diversity of many types of black men. We are multidimensional, have different stories, interest, and gifts. We are human. Our differences are what make us so special, we all can co-exist and collectively inspire".
