About
Born and raised in New York City, Founder, Shantel Sosa is an interdisciplinary Afro-latinx artist. She has worked for the past three years on Nuestra Gente del Bronx a solo project. This multiyear series is a cross cultural and cross generational archive of Bronx youth and young adults. In 2019, she expanded her work from portrait photography to a documentary style. As a first generation Dominican-American her identity is deeply intertwined with her outlook as an activist and artist.
Nuestra Gente del Bronx or "Our People From the Bronx" is solo photography project that was started in 2017. With the goal of reflecting the talent, intuitive thinking, artistry and entrepreneurship that comes from the Bronx, Sosa focused on countering bias, prejudice, and preconceived notions about the Bronx and its residents. This project created a platform for young black and brown Bronx natives to use their stories to rebuild their community and connect with one another and continues as a multiyear series.
Be Your Dream is a movement based photography collection. In collaboration with the WHAS Cultural Arts Center in Washington Heights, NY and their director Kelly Garcia, Shantel Sosa expanded on her NGBX project. Through both sharing and creating her at we have the capacity to build a stronger community, to inspire others and ensure our neighbors and youth know there dreams are not only possible but they are within reach. Rather than focus on white collar narratives of success we should empower youth to pursue their passions. The funding raised from this exhibition went directly to support the young artists and dancers at WHAS.
BlackINwhite -a cross cultural collection- draws from life experiences growing up as an Afro-latina in white America. The art of being Black or Latinx in white spaces is a art of survival. The creative work of this collection demands insight, respect, sensitivity and rigor. To transform these spaces that were built by black arms but filled by white shadows, one must recognize that the fruits of black labor were picked for the wrong hands. These photos picture a historic region of Middletown, CT. Many of the homes featured in these photos were within the Beman Triangle and later became some the first properties owned by freed slaves.
Coming Soon!