What is your present state of mind? Making sure I’m ready.
Fight the Power or Power the fight? Fight the Power that doesn’t represent us and stand up for ourselves, and inclusivity.
If not yourself, who would you be? A sea dolphin.
What is time? Time is a man-made structure, it is an illusion. What counts is your mind-set. Love is timeless. Feelings remain the same regardless of time.
Do you have faith? Sometimes I loose faith, then I reboot myself to have faith again. We can’t abandon the drive to experience life, love and beauty. As long as we are able to stand we need to have faith.
Where are you now? In Normandy, looking at the sea after being in lock down in my apartment for 2 months.
Your sliding doors? Through meditation.
Your butterfly effect? Sharing love, by sharing the beauty I see in people through my photos. Keeping an open mind about human diversity enriches our perceptions and life experiences.
How is culture “infected”? When culture is used by brands to make money… to sell a product. When a culture does not allow for differences. Culture should be there to celebrate all the different variations and by doing so it enriches every individual’s life.
What art do you have in your living room? Art books, photos, paintings, music, sculptures, flowers and mirrors.
Your favorite heroine? Nina Simone for her strength, talent, intensity and vision of the world.
3 books that changed your life? Spanish Harlem by Joseph Rodriguez, because it allowed me to go deep into the Portorican culture of New York through its very intimate images, about people I didn’t know anything about. Untitled by Diane Arbus, for its most transcendent, most romantic vision. Celebrating the singularity and connectedness of each and every one of us. Going East by Max Pam, for the purity of its images and the apparent relationship the photographer built with the models.
What would you like to toast to? To Authenticity, to true connection, to feeling united all around the world. BUT RIGHT NOW I WOULD BE HAPPY TO TOAST to the end of racism in America and the end of violence between humans.
Your greatest accomplishment? The photographic body of research I undertook for over 20 years on Afro-Americans and Hispanics in multicultural neighborhoods of New York. They will be part of a book to come out soon.
In which restaurant would you want to eat your last supper and what would you order? With everything that has happened lately I have lost my appetite. But I would like to share my last supper with my loved ones and my kids, and I will order a big plate of LOVE.
Looking at yourself in the mirror, what do you see? A woman who has experienced life like a warrior, with femininity, strength, vulnerability, dreams, hope and courage. Always in search of love, poetry, sensuality and connections.
Your biggest regret? Having sometimes accepted the position of a woman, as imposed to us by society.
Your ideal view? Watching the sea… or a river.
Who is your favorite artist that nobody has heard of? Artcy, a very creative fashion designer who lives in Morocco. He creates very arty pieces through which he communicates in a very unique way. (maisonartcy)
Which artist should everyone know before the age of 18? John Cassavetes.