FROM PALM TREES TO NARROW STREETS: The Artisitc Journey of Rebecca Rowe

TALENT AND PHOTOS BY REBECCA ROWE ★ WORDS BY NOËL AUSTIN

Rebecca Rowe 2024

Rebecca Rowe is an accredited lifestyle and contemporary photographer residing in Paris, France. Starting out as a fine art painter and now transitioning into a full-time photographer her on going portfolio speaks for itself, with images featured in Vogue, Vogue Italy and Apple Music. Rowe is most notably known for her run-and-gun street style portraits capturing the eye catching street style that congregates the cigarette-fume-induced Parisian streets. Her steet photography abilities where on display for SS24 Paris Fashion Week, capturing images for notable fashion houses Givenchy and Louis Vuitton. Aside from documentary street photography, her portfolio includes a wide range of images, featuring lookbooks for brands such as TEARS and ElevenSixteen, as well as vibrant portraiture. Regardless of the subject, Rowe utilizes a vibrant color palette to showcase a wide range of textures that allow her to craft images that demand your attention.

This past year, Rowe has begun to move into a more contemporary artistic space, creating images that hold a narrative. Her debut photo series, “Hair We Go 2021,” champions the everlasting hair culture that is synonymous with Black women throughout the diaspora. The project features a lively color palette of yellows and blues, not native to France, but a nod to her home country's vibrant island culture. In her first international interview, I had the chance to sit down with the talented photographer to discuss her multifaceted career, trials and tribulations in a pretentious art world, her love for bass-booming trap music for relaxation, and more.

Photo Credits: Rebecca Rowe 2023

NOEL: Good morning, or should I say good afternoon?

REBECCA: Yeah, definitely good afternoon here. Thank you for waking up to do this. I know the time zones are crazy. I hope it's not too early for you.

No, I'm a morning person wholeheartedly. Firstly, could you tell me where your from and where you are now?

I'm from Kingston, Jamaica. Born and raised in the 876. Currently, I reside in Paris, France.

Tell me, how do you go from the tropics of Jamaica to Paris, and why Paris?

I kind of just wanted to take myself away from Jamaica, as sad as it may sound. To be real, it's a sensitive topic for me because I am from such a traditional background. People expect you to look and act a certain way, you know, act accordingly. Most of the time, you have to fit into the status quo, or you're going to be judged heavily, and nobody wants to feel sad or depressed in a place they’ve known all their lives. So I really just wanted to break out of that environment. I mean, I’m proud to be Jamaican, but I felt like it was too much. I needed to be somewhere a bit bigger for me to really spread my wings. After primary school, I wanted to pursue a master’s degree in fine art, and I decided to go to Paris for it. That city was the best place to do that, honestly. France, specifically Paris, is a place where you can really immerse yourself in arts and culture. And I don't know, there's something in the air when it comes to France. As cliché as it is, there is truly, as the French say, like a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ about the place. So that vibe kind of caught on to me, and I never really let it go after that.

So were different creative endeavors a sort of solace for you growing up?

Yes, absolutely. I was pretty introverted growing up and sort of still am today. The kids around me were cruel and bullied a lot of people who stood out and did different things. So for me, someone who is primarily introverted and was into things like comics and painting, I kind of came off as a bit different. I felt this huge spotlight shining over me at times. For a while, it was quite hard to socialize in that type of environment. As I grew up, I learned to step out of that. What made it easier to find friends was to have a kind of middle grown and mine was showcasing my drawing ability with my comics and artwork. That was my quickest way to make friends as a kid, which I really struggled with. I just knew I would be bad at conversations, but my comic books could surely impress a room, or definitely, I could use them to my advantage in some way. So that was my little thing to do.

As someone who is introverted, how do you navigate this creative industry, and does it affect your work?

[Laughs] I do try my best not to come off that way. Typically, I'm very introverted to the point I don't go out unless I'm invited. I just really enjoy my own company and space, but I’ve been in the creative industry for a while, and to really have a career in it, you have to put maximum effort into it. That means socializing within these different pockets of people, among these different groups of artists. I’ve learned how to switch it on and off. It almost feels like I have this alter ego, sort of like I'm playing a character in the best way possible. My work, I feel, really speaks a lot for me because I can't express myself fully 24/7 all the time. It gets exhausting; it's just easier for me to show it.

What was your relationship like with photography growing up?

I was pretty inquisitive when it came to photography back then. Growing up through the Y2K era in the late '90s and early 2000s, I had access to mini digital cameras and those Razor flip phones that are all the craze now, but most, if not all, of them were my parents'. I would honestly just play around with them and do these mini photoshoots with my dolls. I would basically recreate different scenes from the comics that I drew, almost like stills from a movie, putting my dolls in different poses. I really enjoyed doing that as a kid, but I never saw myself as a photographer. It didn't dawn on me that I could do this as a career. I thought it was just for more talented people, but it really and truly took me some time to get past that fear.

Fine art is a pretty vast medium. Where did you land within it during college?

When it came to pursuing fine art, I engaged more with the design aspect, so I focused mainly on textiles. That was my niche as an artist for a while. Over time, my work became more intricate, focusing on textures, patterns, and small details that were subtle but added a lot to the piece.

How did you eventually reconnect with photography, making it your primary artistic avenue?

While finishing my master’s degree, I was creating more detailed paintings that focused on patterns and textures. I was painting on nude bodies and experimenting with surfaces for my work. I eventually got to a point where I really wanted to have a way to showcase my work in its entirety, so I looked to have it captured through images. I started sourcing different photographers to help me, but it became apparent that I’m a perfectionist. My work is super personal to me, and it's hard to rely on someone else to capture your work exactly how you perceive it because they may not see it like you. My photography skills were always in me, and the medium was always a part of me. At this moment in my life, I grew closer to my work and believed I was the only one who could truly capture what I wanted to say with my artwork, with a camera. Soon after, I started falling in love with being able to show people the world through my eyes and showcasing my perspective and experiences.

Fully transitioning into photography, do you bring over some aspects from your fine art painting background to your images?

I would say what made the transition is the importance of focusing on specific details like color and texture. It's something that will always be a part of my artistic work. I really just have this knack for paying attention to details. In my opinion, the smallest details of a piece are the most important aspects; they can really bring an image full circle. I feel those specific details have shaped my identity as an artist, especially because I come from a very colorful background like Jamaica, an island full of vibrant tropical colors like yellows, greens, turquoise, and such. With my work, I want to offer small pieces of Jamaica to a place like Paris that's more dark and subdued. This sentiment is showcased throughout a lot of my most recent work, with many images taken in settings around France that remind me of home, somewhere that feels tropical-esque.

A lot of photographers like to gatekeep the equipment they use. Are you the same way? And if possible, can you tell me what you're using currently?

I’m definitely not a gatekeeper when it comes to cameras [laughs]. As of right now, my standard go-to would be my Sony A7III. I use this for a lot of on-the-street fashion photography for fashion week. It's a camera that's not so heavy and always delivers when I need it to. For my contemporary work, I shoot on film, which opens up a wider range of options. I personally love the mechanical aspect of film cameras. It feels more intentional when making images. Currently, I’ve been using a Hasselblad 500CM. It's probably one of, if not the most, coveted cameras to use, and for good reason. I adore the build quality, mechanics, and the overall look of it. The [lens] glass is very crisp, very pristine. Looking through the viewfinder of a Hasselblad is a breathtaking experience; it's so unreal.

What was one image or project that you made that is special to you?

That is a very difficult question because I love all of my work. If I had to choose one specific photo or project, I would say I have a special connection with my ‘Hair We Go’ Series. It’s a series that is an ode to Blackness, speaking to Black women and the connection we have to our hair and how significant it is within the Black diaspora. I wanted to showcase how non-monolithic we as Black women are, hence why the subjects are Black women with different shapes, skin hues, and hair textures. I wanted to highlight that whether you're Jamaican, African American, Nigerian, or wherever you land within in the Black diaspora, we all can connect to this one special cultural aspect. That project was like my first true editorial personal project, not for any client. It provided me with a new sense of satisfaction, knowing I had this concept and went on the journey of organizing every aspect of the whole shoot, from casting to styling.

The art space, no matter the medium, can be pretty pretentious. How have you navigated that as a Black woman?

I’ve lived in France for about four to five years now, and quite honestly, up until two weeks ago, I would say I just experienced racism and microaggressions within this space. It was an interesting interaction. One I don't really want to delve into right now, but it just showed me that however hard you try to be likable, there's always going to be someone that won’t like you just because you're you. For me, being from Jamaica, we are really proud and confident people, so if I don't ‘big up’ myself, no one will.

What is essential for you in your workspace back home when editing photos?

To really set the scene to even work, I probably light some incense and smoke a little bit of weed to calm my brain because I'm not super calm on my own. Then I'll play music, and honestly, I don't have a lot of soft music playing. I need some bass-inducing trap music like Future, Gunna, XXTentacion, or dancehall. That kind of music just keeps me more alert [laughs].