Renaissance Man is a portrait of emerging elder artist and friend, Eric Engels, who I met in Harlem, New York, in September 2021. Our unexpected encounter happened when I bought cards from him, which he was selling, at a Jazz concert in Marcus Garvey Park. He is a 75-year-old, Harlem born, poet, painter, and photographer. I met him at a time when I had just arrived in the city, and felt somewhat lost and unsure. However, one thing I was sure about was finding out more about the Harlem Renaissance, and Black arts movements in NY, as part of my MFA project, which he agreed to teach me. I spent around four months getting to know him, and just a fragment of his journey, as he became part of mine. Two emerging artists of colour from different generations and continents, with a shared passion, learning from one another.
