Episode 11. SOULEO: Showing Out in Harlem, Newark and Beyond I first met Peter “SOULEO” Wright in Harlem in 2012 through a mutual friend and colleague, @leanne_stella, founder of Art In Flux Harlem. He curated an exhibition at her gallery titled “Art Enology”. Both Souleo and Leanne introduced me to a newly vibrant art scene that continues to grow and has reestablished Harlem’s prominence as a global art center. The Pandemic hasn’t slowed Souleo down. His most recent exhibitions in Harlem, NYC and Newark, NJ, dynamically illustrate his amazing ability to bring the intersection of art, fashion, and celebrity to a widely diverse audience. Image 1: “Styling: Black Expression, Rebellion and Joy Through Fashion”, curated by Souleo at Nordstrom’s in NYC featured works by 15 contemporary Black artists. Souleo in front of a photograph by Kwame Braithwaite in a digital installation by artist Dianne Smith. Photograph by Ruben Natal-San Miguel. Image 2: Installation features three “African Diva Project” paintings by Margaret Rose Vendryes. Image 3: 20th Newark Arts Festival featured “Dionne Warwick: Queen of Twitter”, entertainer and NJ native curated by Souleo. Image: Detail of Beau McCal’s artwork. Image 4: “God Is A Dandy”, a virtual Paul Robeson Galleries, Rutgers Newark event at curated and moderated by Souleo. Left: Souleo. Right: Jerry Gant, late Newark artist’s unique dandy style. Images 5 & 6:Showing Out: Fashion in Harlem:, a multimedia exhibition at the Schomburg Center, curated by Souleo, in honor of the 55th anniversary of the Harlem Institute of Fashion. Image 7: Early photograph of HIF founder Lois K. Alexander-Lane. Image 8: Souleo, left, and partner Beau McCal, shared their story on “National Coming Out Day”, via a virtual event, “LGBTQ+ Lessons on Creativity and Connecting Generations”. #Souleo #Harlem #Newark #NewarkArts #Art #BlackLivesMatters #BlackArtMatters #AfricanDiaspora #Curate #Exhibitions #GodIsADandy #ShowingOut #PaulRobesonGalleries #SchomburgArtCenter #NewArts #NAF20201 #NationalComingOutDay #LGBTQ+ #WhatsNewarkGotToDoWithIt #WhatsUpWithArt #TuckerContemporaryArt (at Newark, New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWEDmNgFTy2/?utm_medium=tumblr
