Photographer and fashion creative Renell Medrano opened her solo exhibition, titled “Lambón” in New This Friday October 4th. Rooted in her Dominican heritage and upbringing in the Bronx, Medrano has crafted a distinctive space in the fashion and music worlds. Her work captures subjects with an authentic and artful lens, where style is ever-present yet expressed effortlessly.
A commission from WeTranfer’s Wepresent art platform, the exhibition showcases a diverse body of work, including editorial projects and collaborations from her creative collective, Ice Studios. It also features personal projects, many of which are being shown for the first time, and were captured during her travels to the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Egypt.
With “Lambón”, Medrano challenges the audience to reflect on their roles in the pursuit of creativity and its potential for exploitation and repetition, asking: “Will you be a leader, or a lambón?” In this context, “lambón” is a Dominican term meaning “suck-up”.
The exhibition also debuts her short film from 2019, “Peluca”, shot in Jamaica, featuring subjects ranging from pole dancers to models adorned in wigs, high heels, and elaborate nail art. Medrano worked with designer Ricky Braukus and stylist Marika-Ella Ames to create this visually striking film. In an interview with WePresent, Medrano shared her inspiration for the project, saying, “I’m a Caribbean girl. Being Dominican, I’m always curious and eager to learn about different cultures. Jamaica has a culture I can relate to and wanted to explore. Plus, my stylist, Marika, is Jamaican.”
In summary, Medrano describes Lambón as “a celebration for the girls like me, the kids like me, the people like me.”
Lambón is on view at WSA on 161 Water street until November 2nd, 2024.