The word, 

The rhythm,

The dance, 

The drum. 

All were present in the earliest accounts of the Dance in Place Congo, that hallowed 6th Ward New Orleans ground now resident inside Louis Armstrong Park. Experts contend that the quintessential New Orleans rhythm, beaten by Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste of the Meters and a host of other modern New Orleans drummers, is a Kongo Kingdom rhythm originating half a millennia ago in the regions of modern day Angola and Congo. How does the rhythm look on the streets of New Orleans today, more than three centuries after its arrival? In this, his first solo exhibit, Josh Farria, son of New Orleans 7th Ward, set for himself the task of capturing these sounds on film. These are the colorful, feathered sounds of the Mardi Gras Indians. These are the urban cowboy sounds of black boys riding horses on city streets. These are street sounds of black New Orleanians asserting their ownership of their city’s streets in color, sound, rhythm and step. These are intimate, close up, honest images of the city as it expresses itself now. These are the knowing images captured by a native son who returned home and understood his city as never before. 

Though now New-York based, Josh Farria is very much New Orleans bred. Having been displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he ultimately found community in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. It was there, in 2010, that he first picked up a camera. His aim was to document the life of his neighborhood-artists, musicians and women in particular caught his eye, and were captured in his work. In recent years, Josh has focused on the culture of his hometown, bringing his informal, observational style of camera work to the place he has always called home.

09.29.25

In commemoration of the 20th year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

BAMBOULA is curated by Jenn Cacciola and produced by Marie-Ange Guiraud

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