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Isolde Brielmaier: I am sparkling

N.V. Parekh & His Portrait Studio Mombasa, Kenya 1940-1980
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
I Am Sparkling: N. V. Parekh and His Portrait Studio Clients—Mombasa, Kenya 1940 to 1980 explores the work of N.V. Parekh, a pioneering Indian-born portrait photographer whose Mombasa studio drew diverse clients from across East Africa. This richly researched volume draws on a rarely accessed photographic archive and extensive interviews, focusing particularly on the experiences of women clients. It situates Parekh's practice within its unique cultural, geographical, and historical context, highlighting how his portraits allowed clients to reimagine identities beyond traditional social markers.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in photography, African and diasporic studies, art history, and women's roles in cultural representation. Also valuable to those studying postcolonial identities and the intersection of art and society in 20th-century East Africa.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

N.V. Parekh was an influential Indian-born portrait photographer whose studio, located in Mombasa in the 20th century, attracted clients from East Africa and beyond.

I Am Sparkling: N. V. Parekh and His Portrait Studio Clients-Mombasa, Kenya 1940 to 1980 is a discrete examination of a historically significant artist and his distinct clientele, and the temporal, geographical, and cultural milieu in which their collaborations flourished.

The manuscript is based on a rarely accessed photographic archive and is complemented by extensive interviews with Parekh's diverse clientele, with a particular focus on women as clients of studio photographers.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its innovative fieldwork approach and extensive interviews, the book offers extraordinary insights into the history of photography and African photographic archives. Critics highlight the significance of Parekh's collaborative portraiture, which empowered sitters to envision identities beyond class, religion, and gender. Described as both a celebration of creative performance and a counter-narrative to mainstream photographic histories, the work is noted for its in-depth research and joyful representation of its subjects.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9788862087612

Publisher: Damiani

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 10 March 2022

Country: Italy

Imprint: Damiani

Illustration: 75 Illustrations

Contributors:

  • Preface by Wangechi Mutu
  • Text by Isolde Brielmaier

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 165.0mm

Height: 241.0mm

Weight: 640g

Pages: 144

About the Author

Isolde Brielmaier is Deputy Director at the New Museum, Curator-at-Large at the International Center for Photography (ICP) in NYC, and Professor of Critical Studies in Tisch's Department of Photography, Imaging and Emerging Media at New York University. Other curatorial roles include six years as Executive Director and Curator of Arts, Culture & Community at Westfield World Trade Centre, and her current position as national advisor for Unbail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), a role in which she advises on artist projects and installations, cultural events, and strategic and community partnerships across the organization. She is also Editor at Large at Air Mail, Graydon Carter's new media venture. Her publishing record is extensive, consisting of peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and dozens of catalogue essays. She recently edited and wrote an essay for the anthology, "Culture as Catalyst: Visual Culture & Social Issues" (Skidmore College/ Tang Museum Press, 2020), and is working on a co-edited volume of portraits and interviews with contemporary Black artists with Harvard's Henry Louis Gates Jr.

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