CONFLUX MAGAZINE

conflux /ˈkänˌfləks/ (n): 1. the junction of two rivers; 2. a magazine on the junction of identities

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Photographs of women in Iran, Georgia, Nepal, Cuba, and Iceland by Lluc Queralt Baiges.

Lluc Queralt Baiges is a documentary photographer from Tarragona, a historical port city in the autonomous region of Catalonia, Spain. For decades he's photographed rarely-covered groups around the world, from Mennonite communities in Bolivia to travelers on the Trans-Mongolian Railway. He talks to us about globalization, the power of black and white, and the importance of coming back home--on the site.

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Chinatown Pretty is a street style blog featuring seniors living in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Started by two Asian-American friends inspired by their grandmothers' fashion, the blog showcases senior fashion through third culture kids' eyes, connecting two generations over unexpectedly shared aesthetics.

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Russian-born Armenian American photographer Diàna Markosian fled Moscow in 1996 with her mother and brother, leaving her father behind. Fifteen years later she connected with him for the first time since they had left. In Mornings (With You), she chronicles a series of breakfasts with him, finding both intimacy and discomfort in an unfamiliar home.

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BLACK LIVES MATTER

To support Alton Sterling's family: https://www.gofundme.com/2d3eze7g To support Philandro Castile's family: https://www.gofundme.com/philando -- Database on all fatal shootings by police in 2016: http://wapo.st/1VFOBUi --

Self-care resources: http://bit.ly/29leaVD Resources for Non-Black Asians on Anti-Blackness: http://bit.ly/1LiJkyM Curriculum for White Americans to Educate Themselves on Race and Racism: http://bit.ly/1Hm3Wyk

Image by Grace Miceli.

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When (and why?!) did mixedness become so trendy? We explore the history of mixed identity in the first installment of our Mixtory series, which cover the history of all things mixed.

*Read the full article here!*

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Mood 👑  by our Contributing Creative Director/artistic genius Hugo Estrada. We decided to reclaim the "you're so exotic" fetishization thing and have some fun with it 😈  Stickers coming soon!

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"All the elements of who I am and my experiences are there in my art. When you spend time in another country, you appreciate things from your own culture in a different way. My background from Mexico is reflected in the yarn and colors, and the multicultural things I’ve experienced in London come through in the sense of style. And I want both of things things to be present in my art."

— Victoria Villasana, London-based Mexican artist who combines traditional Mexican mediums with a global aesthetic. Read our full interview with her on the site.

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"I would like to make art that helps women to be more confident. We need to support each other and spend less energy on things that make us weak or insecure. We have a really strong inner strength we need to nurture, and we shouldn’t feel like we need to just fill the roles society wants us to play. You have a to be a bit of a rebel."

— Victoria Villasana, London-based Mexican artist who combines traditional Mexican mediums with a global aesthetic. Read our full interview with her on the site.

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"People called us twins: two tan boys with matching afros. And like many siblings, somewhere in middle school, we started to grow apart. I became a lackluster student who obsessed over social status, and he chose to become an academic scholar. It was around this time that people started pointing out our differences: he was paler with green-blue eyes, for all intents and purposes white. And I had a coffee complexion, dark eyes, and kinky hair. People started asking us if we had the same parents."

— Sean Weiner in 11.15.91, his personal documentary about how his understanding of being mixed race changed and complicated over time. See the documentary and read Sean’s reflections on our site.

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"It was in this misstep [straightening his hair] that my race was delivered to me: by the white kids that thought, "Why is this black guy trying to have white hair?" to the black kids that thought, "Why is this black guy straightening his hair?" It was as if the world was telling me I had been black all along. And there was acceptance in assimilating into being what everyone else thought I was."

— Sean Weiner in 11.15.91, his personal documentary about how his understanding of being mixed race changed and complicated over time. See the documentary and read Sean’s reflections on our site.

[confluxmagazine]

Still so heartbroken about Orlando and the infuriating irony that the victims were in one of the rare few spaces that they felt safe. Activist Isa Noyola points to something important: in tragic moments like this, we honor the victims, call them brave, show them love. But then what? What about after the wave of media attention has passed? The fact is that LGBTQ folks, immigrants, people of color, Muslims, and others are rarely accepted or cared for by mainstream society while still alive, and remain marginalized.

Isa has us thinking critically about how we can do more to respect, care for, and normalize the existence of marginalized people on ordinary days, when there's not a mass shooting. How to not switch between poles of demonizing and sanctifying—which are really just two sides of othering—but to acknowledge everyone as ordinary human beings, worthy of respect and safety in daily life.

**Watch Isa Noyola’s interview on Democracy Now! here**

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Giovanni Riccò spent the last six months photographing the Americas. In A Tale of Two Cities he draws parallels between New York City and Santiago, two mega-cities that on first glance seem very different, but share a foundation of immigration history and vibrant street life.

See the full photo essay here.

[confluxmagazine]

Giovanni Riccò spent the last six months photographing the Americas. In A Tale of Two Cities he draws parallels between New York City and Santiago, two mega-cities that on first glance seem very different, but share a foundation of immigration history and vibrant street life.

See the full photo essay here.

[confluxmagazine]

Giovanni Riccò spent the last six months photographing the Americas. In A Tale of Two Cities he draws parallels between New York City and Santiago, two mega-cities that on first glance seem very different, but share a foundation of immigration history and vibrant street life.

See the full photo essay here.

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Self-portraits by Amaal Said, the Danish-born, London-based Somali photographer who's known for her quiet, poetic portraits that expand representation of people of color in western media

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New on confluxmagazine.com!

>>> Street artist Victoria Villasana talks about the beauty of Mexico, London, and female rebellion

>>> Photographer Giovanni Riccò draws parallels between NYC and Santiago as cities with immigrant foundations and vibrant street life

>>> Filmmaker Sean Weiner showcases his documentary on how his racial identity changed throughout his life

>>> Editor-in-Chief Anita SenGupta gives us the 101 on the history of mixed identity

Read read read! <3

[confluxmagazine]

Carlisle Chang (1921-2001), Chinese Trinidadian painter whose work greatly influenced 20th century Caribbean art. He designed Trinidad and Tobago’s coat of arms and flag after its independence in 1962.

** EDIT - Oct 17, 2016**

The first picture here is of Carlisle Chang working on a painting. The following are images are pieces by contemporary Trinidadian artists. The first piece is Tassa & Hosay II by Sundiata, the second piece is Untitled by Nazim Baksh, and the final piece is Sonja’s War Paint by Brian Wong Won.

Thanks red-oman for pointing out that the original post was confusing and citing the featured artists!