TO CLEANSE: to rid of impurities by or as if by washing. TO PURIFY: to clear from material defilement or imperfection: to free from guilt or moral or ceremonial blemish: to free from undesirable elements: to grow or become pure. ♥ NISHDana MistressofMayhem Major and James Brewer Photography Tanisha Lynn Pyron aka (PRETTYFIRE) is an artist and a visual storyteller, currently working on her MFA in acting at the University of Illinois. The young artist considers herself to be a modern day...

To The Senses I want to tell gorgeous stories naturally enchanting narratives I want to create sensual beauty beauty that you can touch with your eyes follow the lines and hug the curves as the light does. let your gaze dance on her flesh as the shadows do. embrace the texture of beauty and realize that her “flaws” are gorgeous too. let me stimulate you with the contrast of soft brown flesh and hard grey floors warm pressed against cool youthful skin smooth surrounded by age and distress. i want to stimulate your sense of sight with curves and angles, lights and darks lines and tension and...

A woman is such a large vessel that she can become filled with so much and not overflow, not so for a man, men spill. Kwesi Abbensetts Kwesi Abbensetts is a South American born photographer, hailing from the country of Guyana.  In 2006 while in his final year of film school at Brooklyn College, Kwesi purchased a FUJI 5600 digital camera and from thereon his love for photography blossomed.  Photography gave him the immediacy that was missing from film.  A self taught photographer, Kwesi had no prior formal training. Having traveled around...

“egyptian molasses burnt sugar sweat black RAW drizzled agave citrus honey syrup brown honey musk cane juice sex“ - Kwesi Abbensetts the art of sexual intensity. nothing more to say here. Kwesi’s forays into afrosensuality are unparalleled in their creative daring. I will stop here because the works speak volumes. Don’t you agree? -Vincent, the humble gardener Kwesi Abbensetts is a South American born photographer, hailing from the country of Guyana.  In 2006 while in...

seeing ourselves as beautiful… sometimes… you know we get so caught up on trying to make this happen or that happen… trying to put food on the table or close that next big deal that will make us successful… successful… you know, in the context of what was just said here, success is a dirty word. corrupted word.  because success should not be defined by the result of our struggles but in the journeys of our peace. sometimes… we should remember why we are living. remember our loves and the beauty they bring to our existence. sometimes we should celebrate our time with them. revel...

At the end of a day of shooting EmJae wandered to the dark side of the Garden. It was a tentative step into a world of fishnet and fetish. Shadows and color danced around a stormy backdrop as EmJae’s dark eyes seduced the lens. She had a coy swagger as she stepped outside of her comfort zone to experiment with the creation of these images and the emotions they invoked in her. She was tempting and playful. And as time passed she found the dark diva inside her and became assertive and cocky. As the shoot progressed, she vigorously pulled and ripped the fishnets from her thighs, perhaps a sensuous...

Michael Joseph Edmonds [MJE] says that he is inspired by the naked female form. The New York based photographer is a the lead photo retoucher for AVON by day and an artist of eroticism on his off hours. His fascination for sensuality is ubiquitous throughout all of his works. And while is portfolio of images is broad and diverse, this is Pangea’s Garden and we decided to focus on his unique perspective of the afrosensual. “I like to call it erotic editorial but filthy glamour is probably more accurate.” –Michael Joseph Edmonds His works do tend to have that raw edge of New...

What is Afrosensuality? A few months ago I spoke to a photographer  who didn’t know what afrosensual meant. This makes sense because its not in the dictionary; its not on Wikipedia. No one has created an official definition of the term and I won’t pretend to have the authority to do so, here. I can only tell you what it means to me. You see it started a picture of a sista and her shay butter. It was a simple portrait, set on a warm day in a sun-lit apartment in Atlanta’s West End. But the capture haunted me. It reminded me of a beauty that I had not seen in the galleries or the...

On the back porch, sitting on that old couch that my aunt wanted to throw away, we played. Late in the morning on a Saturday that everybody else decided to sleep through, we just rose up and chilled in the morning sun. It was warm but the air was dry and the breeze felt really good. We heard the wind and the birds but nothing else really. It was as if the whole world decided to sleep in and this morning belonged to us. Just us. Laughter. Fingers touched fingers. Hands stroked chest and massaged feet. Skin on skin. Humble caresses gave way to an intimacy that made a moment worth living. And as...

“the intention of an image has always been to capture a model’s unique qualities, beauty and form” Jay Huntli has two primary motivations for his photography: 1) to capture a womans beauty and uniqueness and 2) to hone his skills by experimenting with technique, lighting, and poses. From an early age, he says he was drawn to photographing people. He recalls creating captures of his five-year-old sister when he was eight. He went on to spend his grade school years producing portraits, mostly in black and white. And as he matured, he moved on to color and weddings. Huntli says...

“I enjoy using my body as a canvas. I’ve been Blessed as of late to have the opportunity to put this canvas in front of a camera. Hoping that my Artistic expression will have the chance to appeal to broader audiences, also with this opportunity, my hope is that an interest will be sparked in my fellow Brothers or Sisters. That you will be inspired or moved to artistically express yourself in a way that you haven’t before.” -Kwentonza Kwentonza’s very presence draws your attention and inflames your imagination. Her effervescent personality makes her a joy and fun to be around. If...

As Yemi Toure’s Midnight Erotica 2012 fast approaches (Saturday, Aug. 25 11 pm – 3 am) we take one last look back at the Yemi’s event last year. Nobella had worked her artistry on earthSista Serenity whose very being was the inspired canvas and earthSista Serene unabashedly hosted the event. That is when the festivities got interesting. Wise sista, Tassili Ma’at, decided to teach folks how to eat chocolate covered strawberries. Tassili is the owner of Tassili’s Raw Reality, a delightful vegan restaurant in Atlanta’s West End that hosts spoken word/open mic on...

I am the reflection of the morning sun, the remnants of a bumblebee kissed sunflower. I am the child of thunder and lightning, I was born with universal power I have a familial lineage that crossed seas and deserts. It took me hitting an emotional and spiritual rock bottom in order to learn how to smile from the inside. I live in the light regardless of the darkness I am a friend, mother, sister, daughter, lover, healer, priestess, and more. My vision is my version, so listen up. Your stereotypes came from my prototypes Hyperboles and similes are my symphony. I contradicted my...

Erykah Badu, her sister Nayrok Udab and indie rock band The Flaming Lips came together to create an edgy, controversial video remake of Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” Directed by George Salisbury, the controversial video features Erykah nude, but it is her sister who bares her breast and ass as Erykah’s body double. Excited by the spectacle of the project, Flaming Lips’ front man Wayne Coyne (who has a reputation for filming music videos in the buff and posting nude images of his wife on Twitter) posted Twitpics of Nayrok from the video shoot;...

N’Dambi Siva is an emerging photographer that received the first camera as a gift from a close personal friend at age twenty-two during a road trip from California to Texas.  With that chance that was available, this just happened to be every day.  To this day, Siva still owns and actively uses that camera, and draws great inspiration from James Van Der Zee, Roy Decarava and Carla Williams. Ukweli (Swahili for “Fact”) is the first semi-nude/nude series of Siva’s young career, which focuses on the raw imperfections of people’s perfect selves. Shot with digital and film cameras (And even...