
Photo by OJ Slaughter
As part of a larger photography project for Virgil Abloh’s “Church & State,” Boston-based artist OJ Slaughter (born 1993 in Richmond, Virginia) collaborated with ICA teens on an editorial fashion shoot inspired by Abloh’s work and his theme of “breaking the rules.” Participants from across ICA teen programs were invited to respond to a prompt about how they break the rules, and six were seleted to collaborate one-on-one with Slaughter on a set of portraits in which they styled their own looks from Virgil Abloh fashions created for the ICA.
Central to Slaughter’s portraiture practice is to create a collaborative environment where subjects can claim space and determine how they express and present themselves creatively – an approach that aligns with the philosophies underlying the ICA’s teen programming. In words and images that are at turns dynamic, joyful, confrontational, and intimate, six ICA teens directly address their own autonomy and others’ misconceptions of what it is to be a young person.
For exclusive images from the daylong shoot, visit the ICA Digital Guide on Bloomberg Connects.
This presentation was organized by Kris Wilton, Director of Creative Content and Digital Engagement, and Betsy Gibbons, Director of Teen Programs, with Nohemi Rodriguez, Teen Programs Associate.
Lead support for Teen Programs provided by Wagner Foundation.
Teen Programs are made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Award Number MA-10-19-0390-19.
Additional support is provided by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation; the Rowland Foundation, Inc.; The Corkin Family; the Rosalie Thorne McKenna Foundation; the Mabel Louise Riley Foundation; Vertex; the Cabot Family Charitable Trust; the William E. Schrafft and Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust; The Willow Tree Fund; the Nathaniel Saltonstall Arts Fund; the Mass Cultural Council; the Robert Lehman Foundation; M&T + Wilmington Trust; the Jean Gaulin Foundation; BPS Arts Expansion Fund at EdVestors; and Santander.
Converse is committed to supporting movements for positive social change and amplifying youth voices as they build the future they believe in.
Framing for this ICA Teen presentation provided by Stanhope Framers.