ONYX

(Hardback)

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Description

'[a] glimmering monograph, which celebrates the performance and artistry of its dancers.' - Vanity Fair

'This book will serve as a starting point for conversations around the Black female body with Raquel at the forefront of provocative image-making' - Aesthetica

'By focusing on the performers themselves, the series elevates the images from straight reportage to curated and highly intentional... Raquel's captivating imagery portrays the empowerment and inclusivity in strip clubs that society has tended to ignore.'- Creative Review

In ONYX, photographer Adrienne Raquel explores the intensity and escapism of the nightclub experience, documenting the power of the performers at Houston's famed Club Onyx. Raquel's photography is usually editorial, with high-power celebrities as her subjects. Her work has broken glass ceilings for Black female photographers. Now, for this passion project commissioned by Fotografiska New York, she has turned her lens towards a community of underrepresented artists in her hometown. At Club Onyx, strippers step on stage displaying their bodies, strength, and seduction, but there's a virtue to this particular space. "They don't get naked" is a common idiom to describe the club's ambiance. Performers there take the word "stripper," and negotiate what that means to them, on their own terms.

Raquel captures elements of southern strip culture and the power of these performers with her signature glossy photographic style. From powerful images of the dancers mid-movement to detailed shots and intimate portraits, Raquel's striking images put the divine beauty and compelling energy that enlivens Houston's nightlife on full display. She also takes viewers behind the scenes, giving us a window into the community the dancers have built in the privacy of the locker room. There they prepare for the evening together before moving to the stage, each dancer in her moment. Uniting their star power to conquer one customer at a time, dancers continue into the early morning, performing and collecting bills. ONYX displays the empowerment and inclusivity in strip clubs that society has ignored. As captured by Raquel, the night club experience is revealed with layered meaning - granting the chance for these performers to be seen as elevated as the culture they influence.

Reviews

Offering a counterpoint to more traditional depictions of sex work, Raquel taps into the dancers' sensuality without objectifying them.--Miss Rosen "Huck"
By focusing on the performers themselves, the series elevates the images from straight reportage to curated and highly intentional.--Aimee McLaughlin "Creative Review"
Equal parts vulnerable and commanding, the women of Club Onyx are captured onstage and off: both in their element, and in the quiet moments before or after a performance--Camille Sojit Pejcha "Document Journal"
ONYX is by nature a primary source document depicting the [women's] sisterhood, strength, and sexuality--and the distinct flavor of Southern strip club culture with journalistic attention.--Patia Borja "Interview"
Each picture is intimate, depicted as if they are meant for private viewing. There's rarely an addition of outside light to make it more staged than it already is; we're seeing exactly what we're meant to. This is Raquel's brilliance behind the camera shown in full effect.--Max Wiener "Muse"
Far removed from the glossy studio work Raquel usually creates, shooting in the club forced her from her comfort zone, making images that exude the neon-lit intensity, dynamism and escapism of the club experience.--Bruno Bayley "VICE"

Author Bio

Adrienne Raquel is a Texas raised image-maker and art director working between Houston, New York & Los Angeles. Inspired by femininity, soulfulness, and color, Adrienne's work is rooted in nostalgia and fantasy while remaining fresh and contemporary. Exhibitions include Mickalene Thomas' Better Nights at Miami's Bass Museum and Aperture's New Black Vanguard. Adrienne's first solo exhibition, Onyx, was on view at Fotografiska New York in 2021. Photographed over the course of 2020, ONYX highlights the artistic balance of exotic dancing, athleticism, and sisterhood at one of Houston, Texas's most famous clubs. Clients include Apple, Savage x Fenty, Pat McGrath Labs, YSL Beaute, Dior, Bacardi, Rare Beauty, Bacardi, Amazon, Nike, Beats By Dre as well as covers of Vanity Fair, V Magazine, GQ, Numero Berlin & Interview Magazine.