Michael Christopher Brown
American, b. 1978
Joseph with his friends and boyfriend at Chocolate City
May 14, 2013
Photograph
Magnum Photos, ID number NYC144295
This photograph depicts Joseph, a Congolese man, at a nightclub with his friends and boyfriend. He runs an LGBT organization called Rainbow Sunrise in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. This photo was taken two weeks after Joseph was beaten and imprisoned by police officers for “promoting” homosexuality, which the state sees as damaging to Congolese culture. This photograph offers a glimpse of daily life beyond this homophobic violence, showcasing a moment of joy and positivity for a group whose struggles are highlighted more often than their triumphs. Unlike most of the artists in this exhibition, Brown is an American photographer and thus presents an outsiders’ perspective of the group in the nightclub. However, the dim light and casual poses of Joseph and his friends still create a sense of companionship and intimacy that encourages the viewer to empathize and identify with the subjects.
Mayes, Stephen. “Toward a New Documentary Expression.” Aperture, no. 214 (2014): 32-35. Accessed April 13, 2019. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24474926.
This article looks at the development of documentary photography and how photographers such as Michael Christopher Brown are shifting the way it is used to tell stories.
Presentation: Recent Portrait Photography. Edited by Janet Borden. Cincinnati: Taft Museum of Art, 1983. Exhibition catalogue.
This exhibition explores portrait photography, drawing particular attention to the relationship between model and artist and to the role the artist plays in shaping the ultimate message of the portrait.
Mbaru, Monica, Monica Tabengwa and Kim Vance. “Cultural discourse in Africa and the promise of human rights based on non-normative sexuality and/or gender expression: exploring the intersections, challenges and opportunities.” In Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights: (Neo)colonialism, Neoliberalism, Resistance and Hope, edited by Nancy Nicol, Adrian Jjuuko, Richard Lusimbo, Nick J. Mulé, Susan Ursel, Amar Wahab, Phyllis Waugh, 177-204. London: University of London, 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv5132j6.14.
This article examines the challenges and opportunities that exist in the quest for more tolerant legal and cultural practices towards LGBTQ+ people in Africa.
Caroline Daigle ’20
