SOUTH BRONX
These three were my first photos taken with my first camera in the South Bronx.
My videos were shown for the first time at Columbia University in the 80s by an important French philosopher, Félix Guattari. He was the one that got me my first video equipment. Him and his co-author, Gilles Deleuze for “Capitalism and Schizophrenia”, were very enthusiastic about my work. I have been trying to find the letter that Deleuze wrote to me. I was so very touched and remember one of the sentences that especially touched my heart, “I wish I had a whole life to write about your photography.” The next day he committed suicide.
These were my first photographs. However both the videos on the camera and the equipment were stolen at night in my apartment by the man living next door. We were very sad with the gang members. A few days after, the gang members and Pearl, the president of “THE ROMAN KINGS”, came to my door one morning and gave me a beautiful package and inside was a photography camera.
I was very moved by their gift. If it were not for them, I would never have thought about doing photography. I only wanted to do video and film. Pearl and his friends made a big change in my life. I thank them forever and I am still friends with Pearl after all these years.
The Roman Kings together, they asked me to take their picture. South Bronx, 1970-1976.
Arine, the mother of Vickie, president of The Roman Queens. In 1972, she handmade me two dolls for my birthday. The fabric is withering away, they are so precious to me.
On the walls of destroyed buildings, I would find beautiful painted murals.
This fighter was given the nickname “Kid Chocolate” by his trainer in memory of the Cuban boxer.
The highly acclaimed greatest pound for pound boxer of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson, a big fan of Kid Chocolate and incorporated a lot of Chocolate's boxing style into his own: "Sugar Ray Robinson was a great admirer of Kid Chocolate,".
Sugar Ray Robinson, went on record saying that he had never seen anyone box like Kid Chocolate before. Robinson studied the Chocolate style and incorporated much of his slick movement and graceful flair into his own boxing style.
This photo was made in 1981. It was shown in an exhibition in Palais de Tokyo in Paris in 2022 on a big black wall. The entire room was black, only the photograph was illuminated. Thanks to the two creators Jay Onei and Hugo.
I love this drawing I saw it on the wall.