On the cover of Vogue: the political symbolism of Elian Almeida

Who doesn't know Vogue? Everyone has, at least once in their life, leafed through the famous fashion magazine or seen adverts for it. Vogue is everywhere. It is an idol, an institution, a myth. Being part of it automatically means receiving its legitimacy and formal recognition in an osmotic way. Being on its cover means affirming one's status quo, one's presence in today's society, one's reputation. 

The work of Elian, a young Brazilian artist, recently exhibited at the group exhibition Amanha Ha De Ser Outro Dia / Demain Sera Un Autre Jour held in Paris in September 2020, focuses precisely on the symbolism inherent in the idealization of the Vogue brand and the political message connected to this. 

"When I was a teenager, I spent my days leafing through my sister's Vogue magazines. I was curious and fascinated by these. However, I soon realized that there were never black people on the cover of Vogue Brazil, even though the majority of the Brazilian population is made up of them." 

Thus was born the “Vogue” series: irreverent, provocative, colourful, symbolic. It is a work of research, of study, which has its roots in the Afro-Brazilian culture. Elian paints with fast, dynamic and physically visible brushstrokes the black characters who have made the history of his country. Thus Tia Ciata, inventor of Samba, Carolina Maria de Jesus, internationally acclaimed writer, Mercedes Baptista, dancer and choreographer, become muses, protagonists, cover icons. 

"Mine is a way of communicating, mediating, teaching through images and art." 

Through a pictorial technique that oscillates between abstraction and representativeness, leaving freedom of imagination to the viewer, Elian paints his faceless characters, making them recognizable not only by the works’ titles, but also by specific characteristics of their clothing and their posture, in other words by a clear symbolism. 

However, the absence of faces is itself symbolic. If we all were faceless, we would not have the characteristic facial features that differentiate us, making us unique. The absence of a face puts all black people on the same level, making sure that anyone can be Tia, Carolina Maria or Mercedes. It is a message of hope, a stimulus, a belief. Anyone then, even black people, can get on the front page of Vogue. 

“Once, returning from one of my exhibitions at the Museu Internacional de Arte Naïf in Rio de Janeiro, I took an Uber. The taxi driver, a black man, was amazed at the idea that a black person like him and me could have exhibited in an institution of such importance. His amazement made me understand how today there is still a passive acceptance of the black people’s condition, based on a strong post-colonial symbolism. In large public buildings, there are different entrances for service personnel and other employees. Considering that black people are the ones destined for the most servile jobs, we are faced with the condition that marks a clear racial differentiation. This is already a symbol in itself, a clear image that determines and increases a condition unfortunately too accepted and taken for granted. " 

Inspired by the thoughts of Achille Mbembe and Frantz Fanon, Elian Almeida transforms Vogue into a vehicle of messages, of history, of culture, but also into a means of post-colonial society critique. Since the normalization and acceptance of racial difference occur through symbolism, it must be precisely through this same system, and therefore through the exploitation of Vogue's popularity and reputation, that the deconstruction process must take shape. It is a well-defined, shrewd, almost ironic political message. 

"There can be no non-political art. Art is a representation of reality, and the real-life itself is a social issue, and therefore a political one. " 

Yet the use of Vogue, an emblematic example of pop culture’s spectacle and idolatry in the societé du spectacle, can in some way be a double-edged sword. As in the past, the art system criticism has accentuated even more the capitalist mechanism of the market - thinking of Duchamp, Manzoni and Damien Hirst. This however carries the risk that the political message and the provocation can fall into the background, absorbed by the brand and the popularity of Vogue itself. 

"We must always keep ourselves in a state of constant criticism. Capitalist society can absorb everything and make everything familiar in its comfort zone. There is a risk that this will also happen for the Black lives matter movement. Capitalism exploits and naturalizes its own criticism, making it the very object of consumption, entertainment, pure mainstream. We need to build a horizontal dialogue to prevent this from happening, through mutual communication between all minorities and all global communities. " 

Elian believes in the power of art as a means of communication, thought, criticism. He believes that change is not a utopia, and his art proves it. The bright, Brazilian colours of his paintings are optimistic, hopeful. His Vogue series brings with it politics and criticism, but also a message of hope, change and awareness. For him, a black boy who grew up in a Rio de Janeiro where minorities are victims of prejudices and aggressions, it is precisely the awareness of the political and social meaning of life that has freed him from the stereotypes of a society still anchored to colonial logic. 

Perhaps, in a few years, Elian too will be on the front page of Vogue. 

Imagery courtesy of Elian Almeida. 

For more information on Elian, check out his Emerging Artist profile and Instagram.

Federico Raffa

Features Editor, MADE IN BED