Walking in the Margins – BUTTER Art Fair

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September 28, 2023 · Community, Photo Essay

At the BUTTER Art Fair in Indianapolis, there’s just as much art on the walls as there is on attendees. Salyse asks them about their attire and the role of fashion.

Image: A photo of Mary @m.aaiirr on the left and Jalen @jalen_treetop on the right. Mary wears a black bodycon dress with a black and white cardigan and bright red corset belt that matches their sunglasses on their head. Jaylen has a denim zip-up with daisy embroidery over a white tee and brown pants. They also have a cross necklace and aviator glasses. Photo Credit: Salyse
Image: A photo of Mary @m.aaiirr on the left and Jalen @jalen_treetop on the right. Mary wears a black bodycon dress with a black and white cardigan and bright red corset belt that matches their sunglasses on their head. Jaylen has a denim zip-up with daisy embroidery over a white tee and brown pants. They also have a cross necklace and aviator glasses. Photo Credit: Salyse

BUTTER Art Fair, located in Indianapolis, featured Black visual artists. It’s run by the organization GANGGANG. In its third year running, BUTTER is bigger than ever. With 49 Black artists featured, over 11,000 attendees, and $285,392 of artwork sales, there’s no doubt that it was a success. While BUTTER celebrated dense culture and many art forms, I sought to amplify the fashion of attendees. When clothing is visual expression, is it still considered art? This question prompted me to ask stylish folks about this and their outfits.

Delisha McKinney

Image: Delisha McKinney @delisha__. The person in the left photo is smiling and wearing a matching olive patterned knit hat and a solid dress. On the right, the same person wearing the same outfit strikes a fierce pose and their tattoo sleeve is more visible. Photo credit: Salyse.
Image: Delisha McKinney @delisha__. The person in the left photo is smiling and wearing a matching olive patterned knit hat and a solid dress. On the right, the same person wearing the same outfit strikes a fierce pose and their tattoo sleeve is more visible. Photo credit: Salyse.
Image: Delisha McKinney (IG: @delisha__). The person in the left photo is smiling and wearing a matching olive patterned knit hat and a solid dress. On the right, the same person wearing the same outfit strikes a fierce pose and their tattoo sleeve is more visible. Photo credit: Salyse.

Salyse: What inspires your fashion? 

Delisha: You know, I’m the 90s. I’m going to keep it real. The 90s influences my fashion: Aaliyah, Foxy Brown, [and] all the hip hop girls from that era. Yeah, that was the best fashion—definitely a vibe.

Salyse: What role do you think fashion plays in culture?

Delisha: Oh man, fashion and culture? They go hand-in-hand. It’s as organic as a flower, you know what I’m saying?

Caleb Poer

Image: Caleb Poer caleb._  Caleb wears a Jack Daniels sports black jacket and black Hardy gloves with white pants. As they gaze off into the distance to the left, their dog in a black crossbody looks in the opposite direction. Photo credit: Salyse.
Image: Caleb Poer (IG: @caleb._)  Caleb wears a Jack Daniels sports black jacket and black Hardy gloves with white pants. As they gaze off into the distance to the left, their dog in a black crossbody looks in the opposite direction. Photo credit: Salyse.

Salyse: How do you express yourself through fashion? 

Caleb: Fashion is linked with what you’re trying to communicate with other people. I play a lot with masculine and feminine energy with how I dress and that tends to form a lot of what I do.

Salyse: Do you think fashion is art?

Caleb: Absolutely, fashion is art. Art is expression and communication and fashion perfectly encapsulates both of those.

Maya Bentley

Image: Maya Bentley @objects_fromtheabstract. Maya reclines on a chair with orange plush upholstery wearing a black, strapless, cocktail dress, black glasses, and red lipstick. Photo credit: Salyse.
Image: Maya Bentley (IG: @objects_fromtheabstract). Maya reclines on a chair with orange plush upholstery wearing a black, strapless, cocktail dress, black glasses, and red lipstick. Photo credit: Salyse.

Salyse: How do you express yourself through fashion?

Maya: I really like abstract art so I intertwine that with my designs.

Salyse: Do you see fashion as art? If so, why or why not? 

Maya: I definitely see fashion as art. Art is so subjective—you can’t explain it.

Pihelli Zekalo

Image: Pihelli Zekalo @pihelli_zekalo. Pihelli wears a brown snakeskin, a long-sleeved crop top with a matching headwrap, black pants, and a rainbow-striped crossbody. Photo credit: Salyse.
Image: Pihelli Zekalo (IG: @pihelli_zekalo). Pihelli wears a brown snakeskin, a long-sleeved crop top with a matching headwrap, black pants, and a rainbow-striped crossbody. Photo credit: Salyse.

Salyse: How do you express yourself through your fashion?

Pihelli: I express myself by how I’m feeling. If I’m feeling more like a monotone, I’d go with that. The color outside also affects how I’m feeling. Right now, emotionally, it’s more of just a relaxed vibe.

Salyse: Do you think fashion is art? And if so, why?

Pihelli: Everything’s art. Just because anything is a different sort of creation, individuality is what comes with [it].”

SLIM Avre

Image: SLIM Avre @slimdoggmillionaree. SLIM wears an orange and blue plaid hat, black glasses, an assortment of necklaces, a white t-shirt with rainbow letters, and the Black Panther Party logo. Paired with those elements is a maroon denim jacket with text on the left breast and beige pants. Photo credit: Salyse.
Image: SLIM Avre (IG: @slimdoggmillionaree). SLIM wears an orange and blue plaid hat, black glasses, an assortment of necklaces, a white t-shirt with rainbow letters, and the Black Panther Party logo. Paired with those elements is a maroon denim jacket with text on the left breast and beige pants. Photo credit: Salyse.

Salyse: How do you express yourself through fashion?

Slim: A tough question. Life inspires me, so, I try to reflect that in what I wear by greens and natural colors and vibrant, love. And mix in who I am with fashion.

Salyse: Do you see fashion as art?

Slim: Oh, absolutely! Everybody can’t do what I do, it takes a certain type of mindset. It takes a certain type of eye and vision. So, that’s art, right there, for sure.

Salyse: What role do you think fashion plays in culture?

Slim: It’s love and liberation.

Arria

Image: Arria @lilbabyog. Aria pairs a fitted spandex top with a large tire graphic on it with white sunglasses, white squiggly earrings, white, black, and purple bracelets, denim capris, and a blue Coach shoulder bag. Photo credit: Salyse.
Image: Arria @lilbabyog. Aria pairs a fitted spandex top with a large tire graphic on it with white sunglasses, white squiggly earrings, white, black, and purple bracelets, denim capris, and a blue Coach shoulder bag. Photo credit: Salyse.
Image: Arria (IG: @lilbabyog). Aria pairs a fitted spandex top with a large tire graphic on it with white sunglasses, white squiggly earrings, white, black, and purple bracelets, denim capris, and a blue Coach shoulder bag. Photo credit: Salyse.

Salyse: What part do you think fashion plays in culture? 

Aria: Our Blackness plays a part. We are the culture. We are the fashion. We are the identity.

Jay Mckay

Image: Jay Mckay  @artby_jay. Jay sits while holding their phone in a black t-shirt, baseball cap, and cargo monochromatic outfit which makes their forearm tattoos, layered gold chains, and bracelets. They wear black Converse sneakers in the classic style with white laces and rims. Photo credit: Salyse.
Image: Jay Mckay  (IG: @artby_jay). Jay sits while holding their phone in a black t-shirt, baseball cap, and cargo monochromatic outfit which makes their forearm tattoos, layered gold chains, and bracelets. They wear black Converse sneakers in the classic style with white laces and rims. Photo credit: Salyse.

Salyse: How do you express yourself through fashion?

Jay: I’m an artist. I have pieces here at the show, but I’ve always been into fashion. I’m really a sneakerhead. 

Salyse: What role do you think fashion plays in culture?

Jay: Oh man, it plays a huge [part in] culture. I think it breaks all types of barriers because you can have a conversation with any race from the pair of shoes you may have on or if you have a hype shirt on or something that strikes up a conversation. So I definitely think that it goes beyond just wearing clothes.

Jose Muñoz

Image: Jose Muñoz @presedenttcamacho. Jose wears classic denim overalls with a white tee along with black glasses, a multicolored animal pendant necklace, and round pins on the overalls above the central overall pocket. Photo credit: Salyse.
Image: Jose Muñoz @presedenttcamacho. Jose wears classic denim overalls with a white tee along with black glasses, a multicolored animal pendant necklace, and round pins on the overalls above the central overall pocket. Photo credit: Salyse.
Image: Jose Muñoz (IG: @presedenttcamacho). Jose wears classic denim overalls with a white tee along with black glasses, a multicolored animal pendant necklace, and round pins on the overalls above the central overall pocket. Photo credit: Salyse.

Salyse: How do you express yourself through fashion? 

Jose: “I watch a lot of films: [mostly] Tarantino. I don’t really have a vision when I put something together, it’s just, if it feels nice and it looks nice and I feel comfortable in it, [I wear it].

Jenique

Image: Jenique @je_nique. Jenique wears tortoise shell sunglasses, a white tank top, and color blocked denim jeans. They accessorize this with a large chain link choker and a cream crossbody. Their rat and pinup femme tattoos are prominent on their right arm (left facing the camera). Photo credit: Salyse.
Image: Jenique (IG: @je_nique). Jenique wears tortoiseshell sunglasses, a white tank top, and color-blocked denim jeans. They accessorize this with a large chain link choker and a cream crossbody. Their rat and pinup femme tattoos are prominent on their right arm (left facing the camera). Photo credit: Salyse.

Salyse: How do you express yourself through fashion?

Jenique: I express my gender and my queerness. Yeah, people are already looking, so it’s like, let me give them something to look at.

Cierra Fogle

Image: Cierra Fogle (IG: @sadfishsadfish). Cierra has bantu knots with two long braids in the front and back. Each knot has silver circular rings protruding from them. They wear a maroon multicolored sequin dress with a multicolored patch tote, silver earrings, and a sleeve of tattoos. Photo credit: Salyse.
Image: Cierra Fogle (IG: @sadfishsadfish). Cierra has bantu knots with two long braids in the front and back. Each knot has silver circular rings protruding from them. They wear a maroon multicolored sequin dress with a multicolored patch tote, silver earrings, and a sleeve of tattoos. Photo credit: Salyse.

Salyse: How do you express yourself through your fashion?   

Cierra: I definitely try to encapsulate what type of energy I’m feeling that day, like whatever emotion I’m feeling. I also want to show my art through my clothes most of the time.

Salyse: Do you see fashion as art?

Cierra: Oh, yeah! I feel like [when] you can dress yourself you’re really a blank canvas, when you’re not wearing anything, which is beautiful in itself. Being able to dress and portray yourself in whatever way you want is art if you are expressing.

Salyse: Who are you most excited to support featured at BUTTER?  

Cierra: Definitely Terrible Tony. I wanna support him [and] all the indie artists that I know and met.

BUTTER shows the connection between art, fashion, and culture. It brings full circle the trinity of visual expression. All three of these form culture and bring communities together. That is what makes BUTTER a catalyst. Not only did the fair feature visual art by 49 Black artists, but there were also over 11,000 art pieces walking in the margins.

About the author: Simone Pegues, professionally known as Salyse, is a practicing photographer based in the city of Indianapolis. With a keen eye for capturing the essence of life, Salyse’s lens gravitates toward the world of people, specializing in dynamic street photography and portraits. Drawing inspiration from the urban rhythm of Indianapolis, Salyse’s work encapsulates the stories that unfold within its streets. Her photographs evoke emotion, curiosity, and a deep connection to the human experience. Through her lens, everyday scenes transform into narratives, revealing the beauty in the ordinary and the authenticity in each individual.