Subscribe
Cassius Life Featured Video
CLOSE
Black Photogs Joshua Kissi & Micaiah Carter Form "See In Black" Collective

Source: Avel Shah / EyeEm / Getty

These Black photographers have taken it upon themselves to make sure OUR stories are told correctly.

 

Joshua Kissi and Micaiah Carter decided to take matters into their hands, focusing on how people view Black lives following the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police officers. Speaking with GQ, Kissi accurately points out that “My skin color is weaponized and radicalized in so many different ways,” adding, “I’m also a son, I’m a brother, I’m a husband.”

The two photographers took it upon themselves to start a collective called See In Black, which features other Black photographers, Anthony Coleman, Florian Koenigsberger, Andre D. Wagner, and Dani Kwateng. Speaking on the collective’s goal, Carter detailed, “We wanted to do something for our own community,” he added, “to show that we are unified. We have power in numbers.”

Right out of the gate, See In Black’s first initiative, a successful two-week print sale launched back in 2019, featured the work from over more than 80 photographers from all over the country, including established and young up-and-coming photogs. The sale featured affordable prints, only costing $100, and See In Black plans on doing more. Unfortunately, the Whitney Museum of American Art exploited the sale and bought several prints, later revealing to the artists that their work would be featured in a “protest-themed show.” It was immediately canceled after See In Black issued a response denouncing the show on Instagram.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A statement on the usage of See In Black prints, in response to the news of the upcoming @whitneymuseum show ~

A post shared by See In Black (@seeinblackproject) on Aug 25, 2020 at 9:44am PDT

Carter closed out the piece with GQ by stating that See In Black will not just focus on Black trauma.

“With Black photographers specifically, we’re not focusing just on Black trauma, but we’re trying to expand—what even is Blackness? We can create work as a community that can further—not explain ourselves, but give more light to our history.”

Photo: Avel Shah / EyeEm / Getty