Mynxii White’s “Revolt” at Leica Gallery, LA
Paying homage to women resisters and the importance of defiance
by Kyle Raymond Fitzpatrick
It is an impossible feat to document—or to know, name or even catalog—all of the resisters whose actions led to revolutions, both big and small. And yet some of these women have left a personal impact on photographer Mynxii White—one that she has chosen to channel into her work. With the exhibition “Revolt” (on now through 6 August at LA’s Leica Gallery), White displays a series of mugshots of stand-ins impersonating some of these women who stood in the way of control. White aims to replicate the sensation one sees when bearing witness to a hero who fought for battles both public and personal.
Some of the figures featured are well-known: including activist/academic/author Angela Davis and activist Sacheen Littlefeather, who famously represented Marlon Brando at the 1973 Academy Awards to decline his award, in an attempt to raise awareness surrounding the portrayal of Native Americans in American film. Others are a little more obscure; representing important stories and events that moved White. These stories include that of Puerto Rican nationalist Lolita Lebrón who led an assault on the United States House of Representatives in 1954, and Phoolan Devi (aka the Bandit Queen), an Indian woman who went from criminal to member of parliament. Each photo is presented with an informational placard that tells the resister’s story—their political involvement, arrests, imprisonments and more.
A make-up artist and creative director, White is now doing all of the work on both sides of the camera. “Revolt” (being shown alongside Bil Brown’s “From Protest to Performance: New Work 2016-2018” and Jim Marshall’s “Peace”) isn’t just about the images; it’s about significant stories of courage and power, and of White’s emerging talent as a photographer.
Images by Kyle Raymond Fitzpatrick
