lisa dubois /USA
Considering Lisa DuBois:
There is evidence of presence and a lingering permeating past tinged with pride and sadness, of something lost and something ever present; flow of ghostly cloths in spiritual ecstasies intermingle with futuristic cities or seemingly cosmically colorized images elevated to an almost other worldliness that in lesser hands would seem mundane. There is both a delicacy and a certainty, an idiosyncratic rendering of time and timing of dignity, passion and sometimes strangeness achieved in her vision of people and situations offered via a sensibility to history, ethnography and the ever evolving human "now".
Carl Heyward
artist, writer, curator
Founder
GLOBAL ART PROJECT
There is evidence of presence and a lingering permeating past tinged with pride and sadness, of something lost and something ever present; flow of ghostly cloths in spiritual ecstasies intermingle with futuristic cities or seemingly cosmically colorized images elevated to an almost other worldliness that in lesser hands would seem mundane. There is both a delicacy and a certainty, an idiosyncratic rendering of time and timing of dignity, passion and sometimes strangeness achieved in her vision of people and situations offered via a sensibility to history, ethnography and the ever evolving human "now".
Carl Heyward
artist, writer, curator
Founder
GLOBAL ART PROJECT
Lisa DuBois, is a New York-based ethnographic photojournalist and curator. DuBois' work focuses on the subcultures of mainstream society. She increases societal cultural understanding through her articles and photographs of people expressing their culture through their customs and traditions. Community Works NYC selected DuBois as one of the heroes who helped Harlem heal during the pandemic for her outdoor Harlem exhibition in 2020, Her work as a curator and creative consultant for ArtontheAve launched the first indoor-outdoor exhibition along Columbus Ave. DuBois' widely collected work on Black subculture in New Orleans is a demonstration of her connection with the people of Louisiana. She has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally, most notably at the Gordon Parks Museum, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Aéroport in France. The Guardian, New York Times BronxNet, and NOLA TV have all conducted interviews with DuBois about her work.
Ethnographic photojournalist and curator Lisa DuBois demonstrates her deep love for history and tradition through focusing on Black subcultures within mainstream society. She seeks to center the importance of preserving traditions and maintaining cultural diversity through her documentation. DuBois received a professional photography degree from the Germain School of Photography, and a BFA from the School of Visual Arts where she was honored with an award for photojournalism. Her work has been held at institutions including the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (Harlem, NY) and the Gordon Parks Museum (Fort Scott, KS). Her work has been commissioned by several prominent publications including The Black American News, The Village Voice, and The Daily News. In 2017 she founded the Harlem-based X Gallery where, as a curator, she features both established and promising emerging artists from the area. She is a member of En Foco and a contributor to the Social Documentary Network and the Edge of Humanity magazine. In 2023 she became a recipient of the Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) Award.
Ethnographic photojournalist and curator Lisa DuBois demonstrates her deep love for history and tradition through focusing on Black subcultures within mainstream society. She seeks to center the importance of preserving traditions and maintaining cultural diversity through her documentation. DuBois received a professional photography degree from the Germain School of Photography, and a BFA from the School of Visual Arts where she was honored with an award for photojournalism. Her work has been held at institutions including the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (Harlem, NY) and the Gordon Parks Museum (Fort Scott, KS). Her work has been commissioned by several prominent publications including The Black American News, The Village Voice, and The Daily News. In 2017 she founded the Harlem-based X Gallery where, as a curator, she features both established and promising emerging artists from the area. She is a member of En Foco and a contributor to the Social Documentary Network and the Edge of Humanity magazine. In 2023 she became a recipient of the Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) Award.
Lisa DuBois documents cultural diversity through the lens of music and public performance. Much of her work explores African American subcultures steeped in historical tradition, documenting Mardi Gras performance troupes like the Krewe of Zulu and the Creole Wild West. In her Firehose Baptism series, DuBois shifts her attention to the eponymous Harlem-based event. This annual tradition originated in the 1930s with Bishop Charles Manuel “Daddy” a.k.a. “Sweet Daddy” Grace, founder of the Harlem United House of Prayer for All People. Every summer in August, Harlemites dressed in white and wearing hair protection gather at an intersection in East Harlem to be baptized. DuBois’s photography series traces the timeline of the event, showing first the quiet moments at the start of the ceremony. As the gospel ensembles begin to perform, the bishop proceeds to rouse the congregation with a sermon. DuBois depicts the swell in intensity in both the music and the sermon, depicting them as a stirring catalyst bringing worshippers together in enthusiasm before the event’s climax—the baptism itself. As the fire hose disperses water across the crowd, the attendees experience collective purification, forgiveness, and healing, energized by the event’s stirring soundtrack and the opportunity to pour out auditory praise.
