Ricardo Muñiz

Too many months have passed since the work of Puerto Rican art photographer and puppeteer, Ricardo Muñiz (www.myspace.com/coquichuloimages), has graced the pages of the Monaga blog.

Ricardo’s U.S. work is focused on cultural recognition and pride. He dedicates himself to photographing and promoting models, designers, stylists and artists of color. For this editorial, Barrio Beach, which premiered in Bello Magazine and, subsequently, Beautiful Magazine, Ricardo received international support from some of our favorite companies. Barrio Beach features the rugged apparel of Boiish in New York (www.boiish.com), the provocative swimwear of Vizeau from France (www.vizeau.com), the trendsetting designs of French accessories company, Beryll, (www.beryll.com), and from Australia, the ever-favorite, Aussiebum (www.aussiebum.com).

New York has many famed beaches, but for many in the inner city, a sandy shore is not the only place to strut your stuff. For this editorial, models Kent Edwards (African American, white and Native American, Deilín Sanz (Dominican), Santiago Peralta (Argentine), Giovanni Perez (Colombian), Steven Munoz (Colombian) and Was Palacios (Dominican) demonstrate their hotness against the cold, hard bricks, mortar and concrete of New York that Ricardo fondly calls, Barrio Beach.