{"id":205003,"date":"2026-03-25T05:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T05:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/205003\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T05:14:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T05:14:11","slug":"unbound-the-gaze-within-brings-powerful-portraits-of-black-women-to-opa-locka-during-womens-history-month-lifestyles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/205003\/","title":{"rendered":"‘UNBOUND: The Gaze Within’ brings powerful portraits of Black women to Opa-locka during Women\u2019s History Month | Lifestyles"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

In Ang\u00e8le Etoundi Essamba\u2019s work, the subjects don\u2019t look away.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"opening\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Attendees gather during the opening of “UNBOUND: The Gaze Within” on March 20 in Opa-locka.<\/p>\n

(Courtesy of Ten North Group)<\/p>\n

\u201cDignity and presence are not themes I chose arbitrarily; they are the very foundation from which I have always sought to create,\u201d Essamba said.<\/p>\n

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 \u201csovereign being[s]\u201d who define their own presence.<\/p>\n

At the core of the exhibition is a shift in perspective.<\/p>\n

\"Viewing\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Attendees view photographs by Ang\u00e8le Etoundi Essamba.<\/p>\n

(Courtesy of Ten North Group)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe gaze, it is never just about seeing. Not for me. It is about recognition,\u201d she told The Miami Times when asked about the exhibition\u2019s title. \u201cTo turn the gaze within \u2014 that is an act of power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her portraits \u2014 some in stark black and white, others in color \u2014 strip away distraction, focusing instead on posture, expression and eye contact. The result is a collection that feels both intimate and confrontational.<\/p>\n

\"Curator<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Curator Babacar Mbow speaks at the opening of “UNBOUND: The Gaze Within” in Opa-locka.<\/p>\n

(Ivette Franco for The Miami Times)<\/p>\n

Curator Babacar Mbow said the work challenges the traditional relationship between subject and viewer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a scene subject. This is an active subject engaged in a kind of interaction with the viewer,\u201d Mbow said. \u201cSo when you look at the world, the world looks back at you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Girl<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cGirl with Amber Earring,\u201d a photograph by Ang\u00e8le Etoundi Essamba.<\/p>\n

(Courtesy of Ten North Group)<\/p>\n

He pointed to one photograph, Girl with Amber Earring, as an example. The image echoes Johannes Vermeer\u2019s Girl with a Pearl Earring, but here, the subject is reimagined \u2014 a Black woman meeting the viewer\u2019s gaze directly, her presence steady and self-assured.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Noir<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cNoir 40,\u201d by Ang\u00e8le Etoundi Essamba.<\/p>\n

(Ivette Franco for The Miami Times)<\/p>\n

A reflection that resonates beyond the frame<\/p>\n

For those attending the opening, the impact was immediate.<\/p>\n

Carleen Vincent-Robinson said she felt that the images reflected the emotional weight many women carry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’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,\u201d she told The Miami Times.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s pretty impactful because it’s something many women feel, like they carry the weight of the world on them,\u201d Vincent-Robinson added.<\/p>\n

She also noted that the exhibition offers a contrast to mainstream portrayals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Vania<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Vania Laguerre speaks at the opening of the exhibition.<\/p>\n

(Ivette Franco for The Miami Times)<\/p>\n

Vania Laguerre described a similar reaction, saying she was \u201cblown away\u201d by the exhibition.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an exposition that everyone should have an opportunity to come and see and live. It permeates across everyone’s spirit and everybody’s soul,\u201d Laguerre said. She pointed to recurring visual elements \u2014 \u201cthe connection of something that is fragile but also tremendously strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Kimberly Green, president of the Green Family Foundation, who was also honored during the opening, the exhibition felt like a journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes you on a journey, and the eyes \u2014 just really impressive work,\u201d she told The Miami Times.<\/p>\n

Green emphasized the importance of representation, particularly in a city like Miami.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that people see themselves reflected in artwork, showing their community in a beautiful light,\u201d she said. \u201cArt is really what makes the social fabric of society. Art is what keeps us together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miami-Dade Commissioner Marleine Bastien echoed that sentiment. \u201cI see courage, I see compassion, I see love, I see boldness, I see hard work, I see philanthropy,\u201d she said of the exhibition.<\/p>\n

For Essamba, showing her work in Miami \u2014 a city shaped by multiple Black diasporas \u2014 carries added meaning.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is profoundly important,\u201d she said. \u201cThe gallery becomes a site of solidarity, where a woman from Douala and a woman from Kingston can find a common visual language.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, UNBOUND: The Gaze Within asks viewers to reconsider not just what they are looking at, but how they are looking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want you to question who holds the power in the act of looking,\u201d Essamba said.<\/p>\n


\n
\n Close <\/p>\n

\"Commissioner
\n \"\"<\/p>\n

Miami-Dade Commissioner Marleine Bastien describes the exhibition during the opening of “UNBOUND: The Gaze Within.”<\/p>\n

\"Ang\u00e8le
\n \"\"<\/p>\n

Ang\u00e8le Etoundi Essamba is a Cameroonian-born photographer known for her portraits exploring identity and representation.<\/p>\n

\"Kimberly
\n \"\"<\/p>\n

Philanthropist Kimberly Green speaks during the opening of “UNBOUND: The Gaze Within.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Commissioner<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Miami-Dade Commissioner Marleine Bastien describes the exhibition during the opening of “UNBOUND: The Gaze Within.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Ang\u00e8le<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Ang\u00e8le Etoundi Essamba is a Cameroonian-born photographer known for her portraits exploring identity and representation.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Kimberly<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Philanthropist Kimberly Green speaks during the opening of “UNBOUND: The Gaze Within.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Inside The ARC (Arts & Recreation Center) in Opa-locka, visitors moved slowly from portrait to portrait, often stopping…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":205004,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[94210,94207,94216,94194,94213,94218,94202,94200,94197,94221,94212,10234,94217,94205,94204,28,94206,94209,94215,225,227,226,94220,94222,19393,94208,94219,123,94198,1064,94203,69746,94199,60674,5242,807,94201,94196,51590,94195,94214,94211],"class_list":["post-205003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hialeah","tag-amsterdam","tag-angle","tag-angle-etoundi","tag-angle-etoundi-essamba","tag-arts-recreation-center","tag-babacar-mbow","tag-babacar-mbow-curator","tag-black-female-portraiture","tag-black-women-photography-exhibition","tag-cameroon","tag-carleen-vincent-robinson","tag-commissioner","tag-curator","tag-douala","tag-feminist-theory","tag-florida","tag-gaze","tag-girl-with-a-pearl-earring","tag-green-family-foundation","tag-hialeah","tag-hialeah-headlines","tag-hialeah-news","tag-johannes-vermeer","tag-kimberly-green","tag-kingston","tag-looking","tag-marleine-bastien","tag-miami","tag-miami-black-art-exhibition","tag-miami-dade","tag-miami-dade-art-exhibition","tag-opa-locka","tag-opa-locka-art-show","tag-photographer","tag-president","tag-south-florida","tag-ten-north-group","tag-the-arc-opa-locka","tag-the-miami-times","tag-unbound-the-gaze-within","tag-vania-laguerre","tag-vincent-robinson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}