View now, Platform´s first-ever Group Exhibition, curated by Aindrea Emelife. Imaging Blackness features photography by Thandiwe Muriu, Bevan Agyemang, Adrian Octavius Walker, Delphine Diallo, Aicha Fall Nadaud, Djibril Drame, Yannis Davy Guibinca, Joel Palmer, John Baloyi, Lakin Ogunbanwo, Maganga Mwagogo, Kenny Germé, Marcus Maddox, Ngadi Smart, Stephen Tayo and Reece T Williams.
unitlondon.viewingrooms.com/viewing-room/23-platform-imaging-blackness
Imaging Blackness
till – 8 November 2021
Blackness is not a monolith; this exhibition shines light on the many aspects of Blackness. Colourism, diaspora, queerness and cultural heritage are explored by the camera with powerful rage, beauty and celebration. We are in the midst of a powerful new generation of Black photographers, transcending limitations and reflecting Blackness beyond limits and into the realms of which we did not know possible. With strength, grace, and power – Imaging Blackness is an immersion into the culturally rich worlds of these new trailblazers.
*Aindrea Emelife, Curator.
Black photography by Black photographers has fundamentally been overlooked by art and the media; unwilling or unable to grasp the power and its essence. But it has not deterred; rather, it inspired proactivity. African-Americas’ engagement with photography in the 19th Century kickstarted a tradition for Black photographers’ use of photography today to promote social change and challenge the representation of Blackness historically with powerful imagery that redefines the beauty, resilience, and multiplicity of the Black experience.
When African-Americans were reconciling the painful aftermath of enslavement and forging a new future fighting for equal rights, photography was embraced by African-Americans during this period, as it was a means for them to reshape the narrative. Photography is particularly important when we consider that who wields the camera is in control and is given the chance to shape not only their own image but that of their community. With the camera, Black photographers and the Black subject could, and continues to challenge racist stereotypes and portray Black communities as they are and as they aspire to be.
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unitlondon.viewingrooms.com/viewing-room/23-platform-imaging-blackness
