MoMA Mixtape: Cory Townes Finds Familiar Faces in New Places

Since 2020, I haven’t traveled north of 14th Street often. As a full-time independent DJ living in Brooklyn, I rarely end up in the hustle and bustle of Midtown Manhattan, even though I worked at several jobs between 42nd and 48th streets for five years. When I was invited to MoMA (for my first visit) to be a part of MoMA Mixtape, I found myself in a state of newfound nostalgia, from physically laying eyes on Radio City Music Hall for the first time in years to trying to remember what food spots I used to hit up on my lunch break. Once I stepped through the museum’s glass doors, I realized this visit was long overdue.

Cory Townes with works by Logo Oluwamuyiwa at MoMA

Burna Boy’s “Dangote” and “Cloak & Dagger” (feat. J-Hus) + Logo Oluwamuyiwa’s Lagos Hosts and Constain Overpass

The New Photography 2023 exhibition and its focus on Nigerian photographers transported me back to December of 2019, when I spent two weeks in Lagos for the holiday season. It’s one of the most impactful trips I’ve ever taken. I instantly felt a deep-rooted connection to a place I had never been before. I remember the early morning ride and seeing workers packed into pick-up trucks on the dusty highway. Their Black faces somehow seemed familiar. The city truly found a way to host a world community of Blackness.

Kaytranada’s “Puff Lah” + Akinbode Akinbiyi’s Bar Beach, Victoria Island, Lagos from the series Sea Never Dry

One of my favorite memories of my trip to Nigeria is spending an afternoon on Lekki Beach and watching the day turn to night through sunset. I remember “Puff Lah” by Kaytranada playing on a friend’s speaker, and seeing the sun gradually dip down into the horizon while countless Black people found entertainment, whether it was sport or music, on the hot beach. It’s an image I’ll never forget.

Installation view of New Photography 2023

Gaetano Pesce’s Up 5 Lounge Chair and Up 6 Ottoman (1969) and Moloch Floor Lamp (1970–71)

“First I wondered how this could fit into a space. And then I thought, who could I see owning and displaying this? Pharrell.”

Pharrell Williams’s “How Does It Feel” + Gaetano Pesce’s Up 5 Lounge Chair, Up 6 Ottoman, and Moloch Floor Lamp

Coming upon the installation of an oversized lounge chair and matching lamp pieces after the New Photography exhibition reset my “palette of interpretation.” Going from visualizing and analyzing photographic media to seeing something so physical immediately took me to a different place. It gives a sense of opulence. First I wondered how this could fit into a space. And then I thought, who could I see owning and displaying this? Pharrell.

From left: Joanne Leonard’s Memo Center with Clean House Plaque, CA (1975) and Portrait, Plant, and Fishbowl, Corean’s Home, West Oakland, CA (1970)

Chance the Rapper’s “Sunday Candy” (feat. Nico “Donnie Trumpet” Segal) and Jordan Ward’s “Famjam400” + Joanne Leonard’s Memo Center with Clean House Plaque, CA and Portrait, Plant, and Fishbowl, Corean’s Home, West Oakland, CA

These two photos took me back to my childhood home in Southwest Philadelphia. I felt like I could see the wood paneling in the foyer, the wrought iron gate leading to the front door, and a distinct warm smell of food coming from the kitchen. It made me think back to my grandmother, Venus Savage, who always seemed to find a way to pair family photos with houseplants. She passed in 2014 and I find myself thinking of her often. It felt good to be in touch with her on this day.

“Once I stepped through the museum’s glass doors, I realized this visit was long overdue.”

Cory Townes at MoMA

Daniel LaRue Johnson. Freedom Now, Number 1. August 13, 1963–January 14, 1964.

Yasiin “Mos Def” Bey’s “Close Edge” + Daniel LaRue Johnson’s Freedom Now, Number 1

I felt drawn to this piece. It brings you in. Its embedded forms want you to get closer. As I tried to pick out various items I could see a common theme of freedom. I walked away with a paradoxical feeling. I reached a conclusion. This piece is addressing freedom, our notion of it and our search for it. But I couldn’t help feeling like there’s more to think about.

SuperJazzClub’s “Paradise” + Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe’s Robert Sobukwe’s Funeral: His coffin descends, but his spirit remains

I remember quickly going to the label once I saw this photo, and the title, Robert Sobukwe’s Funeral: His coffin descends, but his spirit remains, tells me everything that I need to know. I picked up film photography in 2021, and one of the things I’ve grown to see from taking pictures is finding the moment within the moment, which is something that’s perfectly executed here. The funeral of Mr. Sobukwe was the reason for everyone coming together, but this young brother becoming a moment within the moment makes for a great portrait. The title also reminded me of my thoughts on death and losing loved ones: the spirit will always remain.

Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe. Robert Sobukwe’s Funeral: His coffin descends, but his spirit remains. Graaff-Reinet, South Africa, 1978

Cory Townes at MoMA

Ernest Cole. Untitled. c. 1960

The Pharcyde’s “Runnin’” + Ernest Cole’s Untitled

Similar to my experience in Lagos, these fellow Black men are in transit, but this feels different. It’s more dangerous. The stakes feel higher. Ernest Cole made this image quickly and it isn’t a casual cruise. This is a ride for their lives.

Three untitled photos by Ernest Cole, c. 1970

Yussef Dayes’s “Black Classical Music” (feat. Venna and Charlie Stacey) + untitled photos by Ernest Cole

As I’m getting older, I’ve found myself gravitating toward different sub-genres of alternative jazz and instrumentation. The immersive sounds of live music show me that it’s possible to craft and create your own story or perspective sonically, and in new ways. When I looked at this set of photos, I thought of this particular record by London drummer and jazz artist Yussef Dayes. This collection of Ernest Cole’s photos along with that song, “Black Classical Music,” is whatever you imagine it to be. Create your story. It’s art that’s open to interpretation from whoever partakes in it.

Cory Townes is a Philly-born, Brooklyn-based DJ, photographer, and creative. When he’s not playing music for the masses in venues across the country, he’s trying to decide whether FujiFilm or Kodak would be better for his next roll of film.