In Ha’s portraits, women sit together on the front stoop, fixing each other’s hair, resting against each other’s legs. They are undressed and draped in furs on a hardwood floor, counting cash, or dressed in floating sundresses in a courtyard garden, sipping tea. They are meeting the viewer with a direct stare, or ignoring them entirely. The photos feature the model’s hands prominently—pressed against a knee, wrapped around a landline phone. For Ha, fingernails represent strength and beauty, and the salon is a place for hardworking femmes to rest, indulge, escape. The world she presents in her work is sensory and lush, gleaming cars and velvet dresses, lit by red light or direct sun and nothing in between. It’s power, glamor, pleasure—a dream, but almost within reach. Her photos invoke classic American imagery and signals of success, here with women of color at the helm. We got on the phone to talk over her career path as a freelance artist, her relationship with the city, and how fashion and femininity influence her work. - Alena Cover for ANTIGRAVITY MAG
12 products
12 products
