Inside The ARC (Arts & Recreation Center) in Opa-locka, visitors moved slowly from portrait to portrait, often stopping mid-step, meeting the gaze of the women staring back at them.
In Angèle Etoundi Essamba’s work, the subjects don’t look away.
Her exhibition, UNBOUND: The Gaze Within, which opened March 20, brings 25 photographs to South Florida that challenge long-standing portrayals of Black women and reframe them through dignity, presence and self-definition.
Attendees gather during the opening of “UNBOUND: The Gaze Within” on March 20 in Opa-locka.
(Courtesy of Ten North Group)
“Dignity and presence are not themes I chose arbitrarily; they are the very foundation from which I have always sought to create,” Essamba said.
Born in Cameroon and based between Amsterdam and Douala, Essamba is an internationally recognized photographer whose work has been exhibited globally. Her work centers Black women not as subjects of observation, but as “sovereign being[s]” who define their own presence.
At the core of the exhibition is a shift in perspective.
Attendees view photographs by Angèle Etoundi Essamba.
(Courtesy of Ten North Group)
“The gaze, it is never just about seeing. Not for me. It is about recognition,” she told The Miami Times when asked about the exhibition’s title. “To turn the gaze within — that is an act of power.”
Her portraits — some in stark black and white, others in color — strip away distraction, focusing instead on posture, expression and eye contact. The result is a collection that feels both intimate and confrontational.
Curator Babacar Mbow speaks at the opening of “UNBOUND: The Gaze Within” in Opa-locka.
(Ivette Franco for The Miami Times)
Curator Babacar Mbow said the work challenges the traditional relationship between subject and viewer.
“This is not a scene subject. This is an active subject engaged in a kind of interaction with the viewer,” Mbow said. “So when you look at the world, the world looks back at you.”
“Girl with Amber Earring,” a photograph by Angèle Etoundi Essamba.
(Courtesy of Ten North Group)
He pointed to one photograph, Girl with Amber Earring, as an example. The image echoes Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, but here, the subject is reimagined — a Black woman meeting the viewer’s gaze directly, her presence steady and self-assured.
The exhibition, presented by Ten North Group, spans work from 1998 through the 2020s and is on view through May 20. It is free and open to the public.
“Noir 40,” by Angèle Etoundi Essamba.
(Ivette Franco for The Miami Times)
A reflection that resonates beyond the frame
For those attending the opening, the impact was immediate.
Carleen Vincent-Robinson said she felt that the images reflected the emotional weight many women carry.
“It’s almost like there are stages of the life cycle, just capturing people at different stages, women in particular, because stages in life are the one of the women carrying the world, carrying the universe,” she told The Miami Times.
“That’s pretty impactful because it’s something many women feel, like they carry the weight of the world on them,” Vincent-Robinson added.
She also noted that the exhibition offers a contrast to mainstream portrayals.
“This is beautiful in a very different type of way. This isn’t how society depicts young Black women in particular. So I would want young women to come and see something like this.”
Vania Laguerre speaks at the opening of the exhibition.
(Ivette Franco for The Miami Times)
Vania Laguerre described a similar reaction, saying she was “blown away” by the exhibition.
“It’s an exposition that everyone should have an opportunity to come and see and live. It permeates across everyone’s spirit and everybody’s soul,” Laguerre said. She pointed to recurring visual elements — “the connection of something that is fragile but also tremendously strong.”
For Kimberly Green, president of the Green Family Foundation, who was also honored during the opening, the exhibition felt like a journey.
“It takes you on a journey, and the eyes — just really impressive work,” she told The Miami Times.
Green emphasized the importance of representation, particularly in a city like Miami.
“It’s important that people see themselves reflected in artwork, showing their community in a beautiful light,” she said. “Art is really what makes the social fabric of society. Art is what keeps us together.”
Miami-Dade Commissioner Marleine Bastien echoed that sentiment. “I see courage, I see compassion, I see love, I see boldness, I see hard work, I see philanthropy,” she said of the exhibition.
For Essamba, showing her work in Miami — a city shaped by multiple Black diasporas — carries added meaning.
“It is profoundly important,” she said. “The gallery becomes a site of solidarity, where a woman from Douala and a woman from Kingston can find a common visual language.”
Ultimately, UNBOUND: The Gaze Within asks viewers to reconsider not just what they are looking at, but how they are looking.
“I want you to question who holds the power in the act of looking,” Essamba said.
Close
Miami-Dade Commissioner Marleine Bastien describes the exhibition during the opening of “UNBOUND: The Gaze Within.”
Angèle Etoundi Essamba is a Cameroonian-born photographer known for her portraits exploring identity and representation.
Philanthropist Kimberly Green speaks during the opening of “UNBOUND: The Gaze Within.”
Miami-Dade Commissioner Marleine Bastien describes the exhibition during the opening of “UNBOUND: The Gaze Within.”
Angèle Etoundi Essamba is a Cameroonian-born photographer known for her portraits exploring identity and representation.
Philanthropist Kimberly Green speaks during the opening of “UNBOUND: The Gaze Within.”