Hood Excellence, 2019

Aperture is pleased to release this limited-edition print by Kreshonna Keane, whose work is featured in Aperture Issue #242: "New York". In a roundtable with curator and writer Antwaun Sargent, Keane asserts her mission to highlight and celebrate Black culture, beauty, community, and existence. "The terms 'hood' and 'ghetto' have been used over decades as stereotypical and derogatory terms to describe characteristics of people from minority communities. There are many aspects of Black culture that have been subject to such terms, including the now popularized hairstyle, dreadlocks, and head coverings like durags. This hairstyle has been especially frowned upon by corporate America. Hood Excellence is the reflection of the Black man in America who strives for excellence. He puts on his suit, ready to take on the world, but will still be subject to prejudice and rejection because of his dreadlocks. The durags symbolize both the culture and the stereotypes Black men are viewed through in corporate America." —Kreshonna Keane

Pigment Print
Image Size: 13 1/3 x 20 inches
Edition of 15
Signed and numbered by the artist on a label

Kreshonna Keane is a portrait photographer based in New York. The Bronx native uses her work to portray juxtapositions between her subjects and the environment; meanwhile, addressing social stigmas, highlighting culture and celebrating life. Her clients include Paper Planes, AT&T, Converse, Cosmopolitan, Ssunday School, and more.