Lola Flash facts for kids

Lola Flash (born in 1959) is an American photographer. Her work often focuses on important social issues. She also explores topics related to the LGBT community and women's rights.

Flash was very active in a group called ACT UP during the AIDS epidemic in New York City. She was famously featured in the 1989 "Kissing Doesn't Kill" poster.

Lola Flash's art is all about helping communities. Her photographs are kept in major museums. These include the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Early Life and Education

Lola Flash grew up in Montclair, New Jersey. Both of her parents were school teachers. She has both African American and Native American heritage. Her family has lived in Montclair for four generations.

Her great-grandfather, Charles H. Bullock, and her great-grandmother taught at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. Charles H. Bullock also started the first Black YMCA in Montclair. He also founded others in Brooklyn, Virginia, and Kentucky. Lola Flash was named after her great-grandmother on her father's side.

Flash started taking pictures when she was a young girl. She took student portraits for her high school yearbook. She also took many other photos.

After high school, Flash first studied science and photography in college. She hoped to become a science photographer. But she decided to change schools to focus on art. In 1981, she earned a degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art. There, she studied with Leslie King-Hammond. Later, Flash earned another degree from the London College of Printing.

Photography Career and Impact

After college, Lola Flash started using special photography methods. She used negatives and inverted colors in her pictures. This was different from most photojournalists. She used slide film and printed her photos on negative paper. This changed the colors in the pictures. It was meant to show people that they might see the world in only one way.

Her early work focused on social and political topics. This included photos related to the AIDS epidemic. Starting in 1987, Flash was very involved with ACT UP in New York City. In 1989, Flash and Julie Tolentino appeared in a public service announcement (PSA) poster. It was called "Kissing Doesn't Kill." This poster was seen on billboards, buses, and subways in many cities. It used a style similar to Benetton's "United Colors" ads. It aimed to fight against unfairness and lack of concern about HIV/AIDS.

In the 1990s, Flash moved to London. She earned her master's degree there. While in London, she took photos for a publication about the gay community. She also began to explore different themes through traditional portraits. Flash lived in London for eight years. She worked for publications that focused on alternative lifestyles.

Flash was also part of an artist collective called Art Positive.

Flash's later work included two photo series at Alice Yard in Woodbrook, Port of Spain. These were called "Scents of Autumn" and "The Quartet series." During this time, Flash also appeared in the "Kissing Doesn't Kill" campaign by the Gran Fury group. These posters showed images of LGBT people kissing. They aimed to reduce negative feelings and teach people about AIDS. The posters were displayed on billboards and on the sides of buses.

Flash's more recent work looks at how skin color affects Black identity. She also explores gender fluidity. She has often photographed people from the LGBT community. One exhibit, called "LEGENDS," showed members of the New York City LGBT community.

In a recent project called "SALT," Lola Flash photographed women over seventy. These women are still active in their fields. Her subjects are often unsung women. They include artists, activists, real estate agents, singers, and designers. Some well-known women, like Agnes Gund, were also part of the series.

Flash's photography is featured in the 2009 book Posing Beauty: African American Images from the 1890s to the Present.

In 2018, Flash had a solo show called Lola Flash: 1986 – Present. This show looked back at 30 years of her important work. It was held at Pen + Brush in New York City. The show covered her early work on the AIDS crisis in New York City. It also included her well-known "SALT" and "[sur]passing" series.

In 2019, Flash was an Artist in Residence at the Center for Photography at Woodstock. She noted, "I've been a committed artist for 40 years, now having finally gained a seat at the table."

In Flash's current Afrofuturist series, "Syzygy, the vision," she turns herself into a character. This character faces challenges like racism, sexism, and homophobia. But she also experiences joy. She imagines a future where everyone is treated fairly. Flash is a member of the Kamoige Collective. She is also on the board of Queer|Art.

Photography Tools and Methods

Lola Flash started taking photos with a Minox camera. In high school, she began using a 35mm Yashica camera.

Flash first became known for her "cross-color" photography technique. This method makes colors appear inverted.

Currently, Flash uses a Toyo-view camera. She uses a 4×5 film format with it.

Personal Life and Teaching

Flash lives and works in Kips Bay, Manhattan. Besides photography, Flash teaches visual arts and English Language Arts. She teaches at the Williamsburg High School of Art and Technology.

Awards and Recognitions

• 2008: Light Works, Artist residency (New York, NY)
• 2011: Art Matters Foundation, grant for travel to England, Brazil & South Africa
• 2015: Alice Yard, Artist residency (Woodbrook, Port of Spain)
• 2019: Woodstock, Artist residency (New York, NY)
• 2021: Flash received an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society

Exhibitions

Group Exhibitions

• 2016: Sur Rodney (Sur) with Art+ Positive members Lola Flash and Hunter Reynolds. Art AIDS America, The Bronx Museum of the Arts (Bronx, NY)
• 2022: Picturing Black Girlhood: Moments of Possibility, Express Newark.

Solo Exhibitions

• 2018: Lola Flash: 1986 – Present, Pen + Brush (New York, NY)

Collections

Lola Flash's work is part of these permanent collections:

• 1993: Stay Afloat, Use a Rubber, Victoria and Albert Museum
• 2022: Cross Colour, Museum of Modern Art, New York

Filmography

• 2014: Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People