Jordan Carter
Sometimes I’d like to think that I’m a romantic of sorts. And I've learned that in order to be one of those, you have to be dedicated in a way that is intentional, making it unmistakable as to whom or what the object of your affection is. With life constantly cycling us in and out of various seasons, it's important to honor ourselves in all moments. Extremes. In-betweens. Photography can extend itself as a capsule of reality. And with these realities and their thousands of moving parts, my work exhibits the importance of slowing down. To take time, take note, take communion — the intimate details of what it means to exist in this life with love and all its different forms.
Jaylin Hasan
Photography is an art form used to capture and romanticize the moments in the ephemeral lifespans that we must live with as humans. However, learning about how the black community has suffered as a result gives me a new motivation to change the image painted for black people. I'm going to cause a shift in The Black Gaze: the generational notation of black people in art. I've recently learned of my heritage after living 16 years without a clear answer about my ancestry. For my 17th birthday, I traveled to Jamaica for a week, not only for a much-needed break, but also to put my knowledge and talents into practice by learning about the places my ancestors were from. As my blood says, I'm West-Afro-Caribbean. I can't say that I feel obligated to know about my heritage, but there is a strong interest I haven't felt about anything before. Part of this interest probably concerns the calling for justice my heart yearns for. I'm sick of the prejudice of "criminal," "thug," and "violent" that black people receive, when the system always uses their lowest appearance to display their actions to the world.
Dominique Holder
While examining love and desire within the Black gaze, sisterhood comes to mind. Sisterhood is intrinsic to seeking love and true desire beyond lust. The desire for friendship, the hunger for acceptance, the ache to be seen as we truly are. These photographs capture the beginning of something new and how the remnants of the past are never absent from the present.
My work delves into memory and friendship, love and harmony.
Queen Richardson
My photographs capture the assorted visions of gazes. I show a variety of lighting to portray the variety life has to offer. The empowerment of a black woman shines through the photographs and shows the emotions we are made up of.
Barellie Thompson
"i" is a self-portrait series that depicts a heavy time in the life of the artist shown. Black men who experience disturbances in their mental health often feel isolated, which can be a delusion, but also a reality when one finds themselves struggling to feel stable in their bodies and in the world. While "i" is meant to shed light on these battles that often happen behind closed doors, it is also meant to provide encouragement for the needed self-acknowledgment that occurs every moment that we survive and live.
Barellie (buh-rell-ee) is an artist from Baltimore with a primary focus on photography and film work. Through his work, he seeks to examine life and the ideas we hold about it.
