Blackness

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John McConnico

Confronting the Legacy of Photography’s Anti-Blackness

Kimberly Juanita Brown reveals how the photographic enterprise is haunted by racial violence, finding new ways of looking at the dead and the living.

Laila Stevens Seeks Sisterhood in Her Portraits of Black Women

A visit to North Carolina influenced the photographer’s ideas about the power of family.

In Public Spaces, Tender Photographs about Love and Friendship

Clifford Prince King speaks with Lyle Ashton Harris about displaying sensual images of Black queer men on bus shelters and newsstands.

13 Photobooks that Highlight Black Lives and Artistic Visions

From monographs by Awol Erizku and Deana Lawson, to collections on fashion, community, and power, here are essential titles to read this Black History Month.
Tyler Mitchell, Threads of Memory, 2023

Tyler Mitchell Stages a Homecoming in Georgia

In his latest exhibition, the artist considers the poetics of space, presenting sculptures and photographs that move off the wall.

A Midcentury Portrait of Black Culture in Pittsburgh

For more than fifty years, Charles “Teenie” Harris created a vivid record of the city. Now, a major archival project stands to reveal the scope of his vision.

Remembering the Life and Work of Kwame Brathwaite

Ekow Eshun, Tanisha C. Ford, Tyler Mitchell, and Antwaun Sargent on the visionary photographer whose images and activism helped popularize the slogan “Black Is Beautiful.”

A Celebratory Chronicle of Black College Life

The photographer Adraint Bereal captures the agony and ecstasy of what it is to be a Black college student in the United States.

11 Essential Photobooks for Black History Month

From monographs by Ming Smith and Deana Lawson to compendiums about activism and fashion, here are must-read books that envision Black lives.
Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Every Moment Counts (Ecstatic-Antibodies), 1989

How Autograph’s Photobooks Champion Black British Photography

Since the 1980s, the London-based organization has propelled a commitment to the visibility of Black artists by centering identity and human rights.

Donavon Smallwood’s Photographs Envision Black Tranquility in Central Park

Winner of the 2021 Aperture Portfolio Prize, Smallwood was inspired by the history of Seneca Village, a nineteenth-century Black community in New York.
James Barnor, Drum Cover Girl, Erlin Ibreck, London, 1966

How James Barnor’s Photographs Became Symbols of Black Glamour

A solo exhibition celebrates six decades of Barnor’s cosmopolitan photography in Ghana and the United Kingdom.
Anthony Barboza, Kamoinge Members, 1973

The Belated Celebration of the Kamoinge Workshop

In the 1970s, a group of photographers made poetic, affirmative representations of Black life. But why did most museums fail to recognize or validate their efforts?
Tyler Mitchell, Untitled (Family Time in the Park), 2019

Tyler Mitchell’s Love for a Common Way of Life

By showing Black life as leisure, repose, and outdoor play, Mitchell expands our visual vocabulary of race and space.
Shikeith, Prince, 2019

The Queer Black Artists Building Worlds of Desire

In these photographs, queer acts and communal yearning flourish beyond the confines of mainstream gay culture.
Clifford Prince King, Untitled (Grapes), 2017

Clifford Prince King’s Intimate Photographs of Black Queer Men

Creating tender scenes with friends and lovers, the LA-based artist offers a stirring vision of everyday ritual.

Black Is Beautiful

In the 1960s, Kwame Brathwaite’s fashion photographs sent a riveting message about Black culture and freedom.

Mikael Owunna’s Photographs Show the Essence of Black Healing

In his glittering portraits, the artist is building an alternate world.
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Aperture No. 257

Aperture presents “Image Worlds to Come: Photography & AI,” a timely and urgent issue that explores how artificial intelligence is quickly transforming the field of photography and our broader culture of images.

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