Following the recent success of Tyler Mitchell in being the first black photographer to shoot a vogue cover, it’s important to recognize that this is only one of countless young artists of color, many of whom have achieved success far beyond their ages. Mitchell has done work for publications like i-D, Vogue US, Dazed, Office Magazine, and more. While other artists his age might not be shooting for Vogue, they too have extensive resumes and groundbreaking projects.
Kevin Harry’s biggest project, KH Zines, has been written about in Vogue, and has a cult following. His portraits are meant to capture the essence of street style in NYC. He shoots at festivals like Afropunk, which he says inspire him the most. “I think the ultimate one for me is Afropunk. You get this melting pot of people who are their creative best, just fully themselves when they come to Afropunk.” Each issue of his zine, printed several times a year, celebrates the diversity of people, and encourages its subjects and viewers to “come as you are”.
Creating a zine is one way to organize a project, and for Harry, it is the only way. Harry sees his work as a chronicle of black style, to be available for future generations. “I love to touch and feel paper… its important to print this magazine because people, myself included, love to collect hard copies. I made something where if you want to rip a page out, and tape it to your refrigerator; if you want to pin it to your inspiration board, you can.”
https://www.khzines.com
Mioria Rajaonary is an independent documentary photographer based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her projects illuminate different aspects of African culture, not usually visible in media. One of these projects, “LAMBA”, is featured on her site, although it is unfinished. A lamba is the traditional garment worn in Madagascar, and is an important symbol of Malagasy culture. The project is intended to show how the garment serves as more than just ornamental clothing. The cloth is offered for blessings, or to demonstrate things such as identity, status, loyalty, and are involved in ceremonies such as the marriage ceremony and other traditional rites.
Another project by Rajaonary is “Soweto Punk”. It is based on a new South African punk scene created by young musicians. In Soweto, punk and skateboard culture have become an escape from a lifestyle and system many young people don’t want to conform to. This little piece of culture represents creating some sort of freedom in a specific part of the world, through methods used by kids everywhere.
https://miorarajaonary.photoshelter.com/index/G0000nx7fYVItIn4
23-year-old Yannis Davy Guibinga uses his work to explore the vast diversity of identities and cultures on the African continent, and its diaspora. His focus is preserving cultures and rituals that are constantly under attack due to westernization. One of his projects, “Red Woman”, puts women at the forefront of this cultural preservation. The series explores the importance of women in the preservation of tradition, and the connection between femininity and spirituality. It uses Catholic imagery, and the color red to symbolize ambivalence regarding rituals and traditions, which important to some and outdated to others.
http://www.yannisdavy.com/red-woman/
Laura Alston is a freelance designer and photographer, and the founder of Afrobaby, an artistic brand that represents a combination of art, natural hair, and hip hop. Her project, “As Laid As Its Tied”, is representative of this mission, as it documents men and women in durags. Alston says on her website that “the idea to document black men and women in durags stemmed from my growing interest in documenting a process, rather than an outcome. There is a great beauty in black hair traditions that typically are reserved for private spaces, in which the legacies of the practices are measured in how well the hair is groomed. Therefore, I think a statement can always be made when the boundaries of public and private are deconstructed and we wear these hair practices to be seen.”
http://lauraalston.com
20-year-old Miles Loftin studies photography at Parsons, and has shown in publications such as i-D, The Fader, and Aperture. He creates work to demonstrates the black experience, and display marginalized identities and individuals. His project, “HOODED”, aims to humanize and decriminalize the image of black boys and men in hoodies. The photos in this series are brightly colored and attempt to shift the perception of these individuals. On his website, he explains that “Society’s standards placed against black males need to be erased because they are extremely harmful and divisive. It contributes to the reason black males are targeted more by police, why we receive longer jail sentences than our white counterparts and the discrimination that we receive. This project seeks to understand where these negative portrayals come from, and how we can change them for a better future.”
http://www.mylesloftinphotography.com/hooded
