hip-hop group young fathers speak truth to white history in new short film

“National Portrait Gallery asked us tae collaborate on a masculinity project called Male Gaze and we thought, aye, that’s nice eh them. 

Then we looked at the faces in the paintings hanging aroond the walls and noticed something. 

Can you notice it? 

Then we aw laughed cos they’re deed and we’re no. 

Hahahahaha”

Wow. Band Young Fathers contextualize the people in the portraits that hang in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in their new short film “Random White Dudes”. The powerful short places a spotlight on these (white) historical figures we’re told to look at with reverence, but for Black people, these figures often, if not only, represent oppression, colonialism, imperialism, and white supremacy.

The short film was, surprisingly, shot in collaboration with the Gallery itself as part of its ‘Looking Good: the Male Gaze from Van Dyck to Lucian Freud’ traveling exhibition, and plays as a soundtrack throughout the showing.

‘Looking Good: the Male Gaze from Van Dyck to Lucian Freud’ will be on exhibit at the NPG now through Oct. 1st.

Words by Tim Brinkhurst & Kayus Bankole, spoken by Alloysious Massaquoi.