Moussa Moutsinga was your everyday silly guy on TikTok who did not think highly of himself. Elisabeth Gomes Barradas changed his mind. Barradas is a French photographer of Cape Verdean descent whose art is inspired by the 90s and 2000s R&B aesthetic. She looked up to singers like Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys growing up and fantasized about being one of them.
“I used to look at TV shows coming from big channels- MTV, Trace TV, and so on. I used to look at them with dreamy eyes because I just wanted to be just like the stars I looked at when I was younger.”
She was drawn to photography from a young age. Barradas was inspired by art from her mother and had originally been an oil painter, and then later switched to photography.
Gomes’ portraits are glossy, sparkly, and dreamlike for viewers and have been displayed in many different places including public train and bus transport in Paris, France.
Gomes explained how many Black Europeans have a different expression of their Black identity than Black Americans. Black Europeans express themselves with African culture coming from their immigrant families while Black Americans created their own heritage with America.
The Black American aesthetic is not widely seen in France, so she wanted to make a tribute to them in her Covers project. She wanted to represent Black people in a new way inside French art culture.
“I want to give a new point of view to art systems to change their way of thinking about the art made by Black people.”
She admitted to fearing Black Americans would not find her work accurate, but luckily a few responded saying they could recognize themselves through her photographs.
Black Americans are like no other, which is what makes them interesting and popular on all levels. It definitely caught many people’s attention like Gomes from a very young age.
Gomes remembered as a child watching the MTV music awards and American music videos and wanted to be part of it. She recreated the look for herself, her siblings, and her friends, transforming it into art.
One of her friends is Moussa Moutsinga. Moutsinga is a popular content creator in France with over 375,000 followers on TikTok and over 24,000 on Instagram. When Gomes offered the idea to him to be another model for her “Covers” paying homage to classic R & B, Moutsinga hesitated.
Moutsinga claimed he was not “good looking” since he had never done modeling before. Gomes didn’t want Moutsinga to be discouraged and let him know his looks were enough. and made sure the photo shoot was comfortable and easy as she did with all her models.
Gomes’ “Covers” project copied the same visual of old album covers in America from the 90s and early 2000s.
“During the photo shoot, I played different music to make them let loose and to set the mood.” Gomes said.
I asked her which songs she played during the shoot.
“In Da Club by 50 Cent” she said laughing.
Moutsinga was elated with the ending results. The photos carried a light background complimenting his dark skin as he was shirtless in a causal durag all while wearing bling-bling jewelry to exude a debonair presence. He enjoyed seeing the finished products of his photos on public display and even posted them on his Instagram.
Even though Gomes is heavily influenced by Black American culture in her art, she has never actually traveled to America.
“I would like to go to Brooklyn.” Gomes said, for obvious reasons.
Gomes explained how Black art has gained recognition in Europe over the past decade.
Moussa Moutsinga, Covers Project.
Photo by: Elisabeth Gomes-Barradas
“In France, the art made by the Black people used to be really criticized, and I wanted to give another point of view coming from the United States where the questions about the Black culture…”
Gomes being a non-native English speaker, couldn’t find the word to describe it. She pondered for a while and then realized she needed help.
“Oh, I know the word in French. Avant-garde?” She asked hoping I would understand.
“So they appreciate it better, and seen more as an art?” I asked inquisitively.
“Yes!” She said.
Moussa Moutsinga wore a durag in the photoshoot which is a now trendy accessory Black men in America had been criminalized for decades.
Many don’t know durags were invented as part of a hair grooming kit in 1979 as a “tie down,” and currently used as a protective hairstyle for Black hair and is a part of hip-hop culture as an aesthetic of everyday Black life. Today, Black men and women are still racially profiled for wearing durags and other urban clothing.
Many non-Black people profit off the Black aesthetic in America while Black Americans experienced prejudice and discrimination. Artists like Elisabeth will help change the culture in France and abroad paying homage to the OGs.
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