Everyday of my life I’ve been called my father. And while I've watched my face mature into a replica of his, watched my beard fill in the same way his sits, and grew to a height tall enough to see him eye to eye, there are certain characteristics I could never seem to match. The stride in his walk, the tone of his voice, but most importantly, the pride in himself. The type of pride that exudes a certain confidence, a certain power.
Growing up as a queer Black man in Southern America, power hid from me. Almost like a game of hide and seek. I searched and I searched. Followed the tracks of others. Tracks that led me pues of judgment, in between sheets of temporary satisfaction, and ultimately to a place of always questioning who looked back at me in mirrors. It wasn’t until this search led me to photography that I began to understand this person. Through photographic expression, I have begin to find my own town of voice, my own stride, my own power. This collection is an expression of my journey.
Through the realm of Black and White photography this photo series, When I Think About Power captures both internal conflict and external embrace surrounding shifting notions of Black masculinity. From queerness, dress, to heritage, this collection of stylized portraiture questions the search of one’s own power and breeds life into a new notion of man.
See more of the this artist's work: https://www.officiallovehart.com
