"Lovers & Friends" Took Over Strada World
We planned to meet for a coffee the next day to chop it up, but understandably, they were exhausted (as was I after fashion week), so instead we texted about it! Read the exchange below:
Tell me about the Jazz band that opened the night, that was fun.
Iza El Nems— and I went to elementary school together (PS9). I remember him at 5 years old, carrying around his saxophone all around town, which at the time was the size of his whole body. Emilio ended up being a crazy tenor saxophonist and composer and is currently the lead sax player in the bands of Stanley Clarke N 4EVER and City Blackman Santana.
He was a member of the late Wallace Roney’s Quintet for the final three years of his life, sharing the bandstand with Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, Buster Williams, Stanley Clarke, Patrice Rushen, Lenny White, Gary Bartz, Steve Turre, Christian McBride, Rene McLean, Antoine Roney, Donald Harrison, and so many more. He’s always on the road with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on the road in the United States.
Okay enough gassing but just giving credit where credit is due. Anyway, when it came time to put the show together I literally was like there is no one else I want to do a live performance on opening night and called him up immediately. He was on tour when I called but timing worked out and he graciously agreed to perform with a few of his bandmates. It was a full circle moment. Brought tears to my eyes. That shit was beautiful. Can’t believe we were running around causing havoc during recess together. Two of us curly haired kings.
Sophia Wilson— The jazz band was completely Izzy’s idea! Emilio is Izzy’s friend from childhood. The second she suggested to him I was immediately sold. Live music brought the perfect elegance to the evening, and Emilio was even a born and raised New Yorker.
What was the process like for selecting the images and the ways in which they were presented?
IEN— We wanted the majority of the photos to be billboard size — sort of this attempt to reclaim space. TilePix, our sole print partner for the event, gave us a range of amazing mediums to use (lenticular prints, inkjet, glass, etc.) so we chose mediums we thought made the most sense for the images at hand. They've been super supportive throughout the entire process, which is nice. We wanted the works to make an impact and speak to the true nature of the series.
SW— We knew from the start that we wanted our work to be as large as possible in order for us to take up space in our city. Having the portraits of our native NYCers take up as much space as possible was at the heart and soul of our project from the very beginning. Given some time restraints and some bumps in the road, many of the prints ended up being a bit smaller than intended, but we are definitely still thrilled with the outcome. A lot of the decisions of which prints would be what size was instinctual, and it would hit us at the same time that a certain print needed to be made a certain size.
Was it different to see it physically in a space rather than digitally which is how most of your audience has encountered the images so far?
IEN— Absolutely. It was seeing an idea that was born from Sophia’s studio come to fruition, seeing it come to life after all the trials and tribulations. We ran around the city like little kids in a candy store, jumping from shoot to shoot, titties bouncing baggy pants dragging, mid laugh or mid cry, we stood connected, grounded in our vision and driven by our motives. Our outfits alone took up enough space to fill a stadium. In those first few months both Sophia and our project gave me light, it allowed me a moment to breathe during a time where I had never felt more suffocated, stifled creatively, unable to grow and undeniably heartbroken.
As we worked I began to write. I wondered why now when I’d never been more unsure of what I had to say. Our subjects helped me just as much as Sophia did. And once we started speaking we did not stop. To see Sophia smiling ear to ear running up and down the block, it brings tears to my eyes. We worked so fucking hard. You have no idea how hard we worked. To be 22 in the city that never sleeps I struggled with where to swim in a swamp swarmed with the sea creatures of my past and demons that lay down tracks in my mind. It’s like we swam to the gallery. New tracks were created. Beautiful songs. Strong, potent, and powerful.
SW— One thousand percent. As a photographer who prints everything by hand in the color darkroom, I am really attached to the importance of physical art and an analogue process. Being able to blow up my color darkroom handprints felt like an exaggeration of my photo process, which only felt natural to Lovers + Friends.
When people see photos on a screen, you’re not able to view the original hues, or the textures at hand, and the papers we chose were all so intentional. Even for instance, the lenticular print which was one of my favorites – there is just no way to show something like that on a digital screen. There’s also just something about seeing these people congregate around your art in real life that you can’t feel over social media. You can have a billion followers and feel lonely, but when they all come together in real life it’s a completely different feeling that leaves you so fulfilled. It’s art in itself getting to watch everyone’s faces as they look at our work.
As PoC & women artists, there are so many obstacles that can arise, but together you’ve been able to establish a standard and a great foundation from which to build upon. What do you see as the next step?
IEN— There have been a lot of lessons learned in this process — and many, I'm sure, left to learn. I think the magnitude and scale of this project in such a short timeline is a testament to our team, the way we work individually, and more importantly, collectively. For every person that believed in us there were 100 that didn’t. That’s fine. We’re moving and shaking.
As an Arab NYer I value spontaneity and improv., working in stride as a homage to the generation of Ab-Ex painters who came before me, once filling the streets of the city with colors and movement. In short: I’m a fucking nut, born from the belly of a heartwarming mother, stemming from the seed of Militia Men and streetwalkers, a product of my generation that looks outward hoping to reach a dimension that cannot be seen outside of my dreams, except when I paint it, forming those thoughts into a reality of color on contact sheets or canvas… or Lovers & Friends.
The next steps? We’re going international with this show. Already working on the creative templates for our next few projects. Don’t want to stop.
SW— Thank you! This has definitely been anything but easy. Getting people at large companies and publications to treat us as they treat our male counterparts has been a huge challenge which is crazy to me because I've been working in the industry for over 10 years… Also, what Izzy and I have put together has been so monumental already and we have the stats to prove it. As far as next steps, we want to take this show to other cities! Paris is at the top of our minds currently. A lot of the works are still for sale so getting those sold is definitely a next step, too. We would also love to do some sort of spin-off campaign and we are in talks with a few major houses about that currently. Not to mention we also both have our solo careers to attend to.
Has it gotten easier? Considering you had to contribute your savings to even make this possible.
IEN— Everything has its ups and downs. Everything is hard work. I’m just proud of us. Really really proud of us.
SW— Why does it feel like it’s only gotten harder? Haha. I guess the bigger you get the bigger the hurdles get.
