Off The Finesse
Opening 7 - 9 pm
February 11th - 28th, 2022
56 Bogart st. Brooklyn, NY 11206
Denise Stephanie X John Parks
Curated by MisaMaria
NEW YORK - Headline, founded in Vancouver, Canada, will launch its first US exhibition at The Border Brooklyn on Friday, February 11th. Exhibiting wearable art alongside photography, Off The Finesse highlights the stories and environments of artists and change-makers in our community to explore the skilful process of cultivating oneself. In examining the intimacies of portraiture, audience members are invited to reflect upon the ways creative pursuits can become tools of action in service of authenticity and the realization of one's potentialities. Portraits include Maya Aristimuño, Founder of Maristi; Cameron Andre, Multidisciplinary Artist; Alena Rose, Body Advocate & Designer; and Aashna Agarwal, Journalist.
Says Director and Curator Misa Maria, "Galleries have the potential to present shows that can build community and facilitate important conversations around finding authenticity within the complexities of our current social climate. I want to actualize this by highlighting voices of young creatives in my generation."
Denise Stephanie is a Brooklyn-born multi-disciplinary creative who is enticed by image-making. Using her Caribbean family heritage and personal histories as a consistent thread through her work, she uses portraits to explore the intimacies of her subjects' stories. With a Barneys New York campaign at 16, numerous Vogue articles including two on Simone Biles and Sha'Carri Richardson for the Met Gala, and a role as Creative Producer at Tia Adeola under her belt, Denise continues to hustle while bringing life to black stories.
Also featured is John Parks, a current student at The New School, New York, originating from Massachusetts. Parks uses his practice to explore how single prints can convey specific emotions or themes. Using laser engraving technology, the artist makes denim his canvas, transforming clothing items into photographic storyboards. Parks has sourced imagery dating from the early 1900s to the present, sparking curiosity around the sense of euphoria creative practices can elicit and the fleetingness of this feeling.