“I had never seen a black person as free as Basquiat,” says painter, designer, and filmmaker Gabrielle Ledet in our newest What’s Underneath interview. From designing and painting her clothes to painting all over her car, Gabrielle is utterly free in her self-expression, and it is her mission to pass on that same freedom through unbridled creativity to everyone in her generation, especially young black children. As she explains, “I want to inspire a generation of kids to imagine, and to create a story. I reflect a lot of stuff that we go through, but that's not my main focus. I'm not numb to anything that's going on. I don't want the kids to ever forget that we live in America and it's racist as fuck. We’re going to talk about the racism, and keep talking about, and keep talking about, or are we’re going to create something beyond this shit.” Press play on the video above to see how Gabrielle became the role model she always needed.

Add Gabrielle on Instagram
Gabrielle's episode was edited by Kirsten Johnson
What's Underneath is produced by Elisa, Lily, & Mona
Thank you to Ace Hotel New Orleans for providing us with a location to film Gabrielle’s episode!