From January through March 2017, I will be the guest blogger for Baxter St/Camera Club of New York. Read my first post features the work of Nona Faustine, Carrie Mae Weems, Renee Cox and Xaviera Simmons – all of whom create self portrait work set in landscape. Here’s a preview…

A recurring theme within contemporary art photography has been the imperative to address the biased or unavailable historical representation of the Black, female body. Since the 1990s’ artists like Carrie Mae Weems, Renee Cox, Xaviera Simmons and now Nona Faustine, have used photography to recognize Black womanhood in all its unattested complexities. In the photographs shown below, each artist has settled their melanated bodies within their landscape of choice – sites that have witnessed unspeakable violence, marooned existences and/or enlightened encounters.

Read the entire post, “The Black Female Self in Landscape”.

Top image: Nona Faustine. “ ‘. . . a thirst for compleat freedom … had been her only motive for absconding.’ Oney Judge, Federal Hall NYC,” 2016.