Photographer of the Week #214: Laurent Chevalier

Introducing Photographer of the Week, Laurent Chevalier.

Living and working in New York City, Laurent Chevalier utilizes photography to shift the frameworks of representative imagery. Using processes and media from the past, Laurent archives for the future while simultaneously engaging contemporary social issues and promoting social justice.

Not solely a street, documentary, nor conceptual photographer — Laurent Chevalier rather navigates the space that borders these genres. Chevalier’s images seek to dialogue through past, present and future, while continuously contributing new perspectives of Black America and the African Diaspora into the canon.

Selected works come from a new collection of photographs entitled Enough. Inspired by the classic observer artists before him (al la Roy DeCarava, Garry Winogrand, and Robert Frank) this is a story of New York City, but it is also specifically a story of Blackness.

Spanning a period of 5 years and punctuated by poetry written by Brooklyn native Dr. Jamila Lysicott, Enough is a tangible exploration of the intersections of the Black experience. Through a lens of candid observation, Enough explores themes of patriotism, power, family and spirit. It does not seek to describe an experience holistically, but rather to present avenues that the viewer may choose and follow at will.

 

Words from Laurent Chevalier.