Photographing sexuality, desire and grief in Black masculinity

In 1955, prolific writer James Baldwin wrote Notes of a Native Son, a collection of ten essays that is now considered a classic of the Black autobiographical genre that critiques the whitewashed representations of Black masculinity in mainstream literature and film whilst also comparing the Black experience in America to European cities such as Paris, France and Leukerbad, Switzerland.

A new group exhibition in south London continues this exploration of Black masculinity, the rich, nuanced and complex experiences of masculine identity and how it intersects with class, sexuality and disability. Entitled Notes on a Native Son: After Baldwin, the works of nine photographers across both sides of the Atlantic have been curated by director of photography at FT Weekend magazine Emma Bowkett and documentary photographer Jermaine Francis, as part of Peckham 24, a non-profit art and photography festival. “Like Baldwin’s book, we see the exhibition like essays that tackle the issue of race in the US and UK,” Jermaine and Emma say. “It explores a layered and varied experience of the Black male body, one that’s away from a very didactic position.”

Collaged photograph of a man's face from the Notes on a Native Son: After Baldwin exhibition at Peckham 24 2023 — MUFO, 2022. Image courtesy George Dyer

Platforming new and experimental artists within warehouses and galleries across Peckham, the theme for this year’s festival is “Body Language”, with artists responding to the politics, identities and space of the body and its gestures and the way it is both made within and rebels against societal expectations.

Across the exhibition are pieces from George Dyer, who explores Black male desire and sexuality with his cubist collage portraits, street photography of men riding horses through the concrete streets by Cian Oba-Smith and Jon Henry’s study of generational trauma, grief and healing. Other pieces come from British photographer Andrew Jackson, based in Montreal, who looks at migration and displacement and often how they impact the family; Londoner Dexter McLean, who uses photography to challenge the way mainstream media represents disability; and Ryan Prince, who documents the nature of Black identity. Brooklyn’s Kadar R. Small showcases tenderness and intimacy within the Black and Brown queer communities, while the concepts behind Karl Ohiri’s work is driven by merging the self with the other, and Amani Willett’s photography looks at the impact of memory and social environment.

Photograph of a man lying on the floor in the arms of a woman from the Notes on a Native Son: After Baldwin exhibition at Peckham 24 2023 — Image courtesy Jon Henry

What draws each of these works together? Each of the artists featured in On a Native Son: After Baldwin use photography to subvert the stereotypical depictions of Black masculinity, one that’s not confined within the narrow perspective of the white western gaze it often can be. But more than this, “their work attempts to look at the space that the Black male has to negotiate, not just physically but also historically and psychologically,” as Jermaine and Emma note. Much like James Baldwin’s writing, the photographers and artists featured in the exhibit showcase the multiplicity of the Black diaspora and the ways in which shared and unique experiences shape the community.

‘Notes on a Native Son: After Baldwin’ will be running as part of Peckham 24 from 12 to 14 May 2023 in Copeland Park & the Bussey Building in Peckham, South London.

Photograph of someone sitting at the wheel of a car from the Notes on a Native Son: After Baldwin exhibition at Peckham 24 2023 — A Parallel Rd, 2020. Image courtesy Amani Willett

Photograph of a shirtless man with makeup on his eyebrow and necklaces on and a durag being wrapped around his head from the Notes on a Native Son: After Baldwin exhibition at Peckham 24 2023 — Image courtesy Kadar R. Small

Photograph of a rotten banana in a man's fly zipper from the Notes on a Native Son: After Baldwin exhibition at Peckham 24 2023 — Self Portrait with Rotten Banana, 2020. Image courtesy Karl Ohiri

photograph of two men talking in a living room from the Notes on a Native Son: After Baldwin exhibition at Peckham 24 2023 — Image courtesy Ryan Prince

Credits

All images courtesy of the artists via Peckham 24