ABOUT THE EXHIBIT

In 2019, Pittsburgh Public Theater proudly welcomed FashionAFRICANA to the O’Reilly Theater for an exclusive engagement of Mario Epanya’s BEAUTIFUL: Portraits of Black Beauty. This stunning photography exhibit was on display in The Pub, located on the 2nd floor of the Theater. The exhibit was featured at the Theater during the run of its show School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play.

Mario Epanya is a Paris-based commercial beauty and fashion photographer whose work focuses on diversity in fashion and portraiture.

In 2007, Epanya made the transition to photography and set up his studio, Studioepanya. He began creating his iconic images that are shaping the modern face of African beauty, fashion and style. In 2010, Epanya garnered widespread attention for his creation of fictional Vogue Africa covers celebrating black beauty. The buzz drew attention to the need for greater diversity in the global fashion and beauty industries. Following this, Epanya created an online magazine, Winkler, and held his first photography exhibition, Glamazonia, a series of black and white images dedicated to black beauty, which traveled the world. Epanya lives and works in Paris.

Exhibit Curator, Artist-In-Residence, Demeatria Boccella, independent global arts and philanthropy professional, supports creative excellence by pursuing fresh ideas and programmatic innovation. She initiates, commissions, convenes and seeks to build communities at the intersection of arts conceptualization, funding, management, performance and education. Boccella is currently Artist-In- Residence at Pittsburgh Public Theater and founder of FashionAFRICANA.