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Black Bromance Series, 2019 (Ongoing)

 

      My current studio and research interest is investigating platonic relationship  between African American males (and male identifying genders). I am exploring and exposing the boundary of the term I coined as “black bromance" and its controversy within the Black community and larger social climate of American culture. A bromance, an urban term, is an intimate, non-sexual relationship between two or more men. It is a tight, affectionate, homosocial male bonding relationship exceeding that of usual friendship, and is distinguished by a particularly high level of emotional intimacy. It is not a common phenomenon in the Black community and when it does occur, it is rarely discussed. I am questioning the boundaries of this in the context of Black men and their projected, stereotyped capacity of affection to only be sexual, lustful, or violent. This body of work challenges how people receive these images, making them ponder within themselves, and amongst others, what is platonic, homosexual, too intimate, passable, suspect, etc.