© Beuford Smith, Malcolm X, Harlem, 1964
Expositions du 9/2/2017 au 25/3/2017 Terminé
Keith de Lellis gallery 1045 Madison avenue #3 New York, NY 10075 France
Press release - Beuford Smith (American, b. 1941) is one of the great social documentary photographers that emerged from the 1960s. Founder of Cesaire Photo Agency and cofounder of the Black Photographer's Annual, Smith has enjoyed a diverse and celebrated career in image-making.Keith de Lellis gallery 1045 Madison avenue #3 New York, NY 10075 France
Smith was a founding member, and later served as president, of the group Kamoinge. In explaining this unprecedented organization, Smith said, "Kamoinge exists, as a forum of African-American photographers, to view and critique each other's work in an honest and understanding atmosphere, to nurture and challenge each other in order to attain the highest creative level. The name comes from the Kikuyu language of Kenya, and means a group of people acting together. Its aim is to seek out the truth inherent in our cultural roots, to create and communicate these truths with insight and integrity."
© Beuford Smith, NO and KEEP OFF, Harlem, 1982
The photographs featured in this exhibition, many made early in Smith's career, could not exist without the support and critique provided to him by Kamoinge: "For many of us, the turbulent 60s brought into focus a deep sense of urgency to find a direction for our photographs. Seeking a spine for this direction made feedback for our efforts as critical an activity as creating the work itself." Kamoinge helped to shape Smith's technical and conceptual approaches to documenting New York City communities. In the organization's 2013 publication, Timeless, Smith said of his work, "I photograph as passionately and humanely as possible."
© Beuford Smith, East 12th Street Park, NYC (Boy on Swing), 1968
Beuford Smith's photographs can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the New York Public Library, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and he has exhibited at such institutions as the Studio Museum in Harlem and the International Center for Photography.
This exhibition will be on view at the Keith de Lellis Gallery through March 25, 2017.