Kris Graves - Testament, Volume 03, 2016

The Testament Project is an exploration and re-conception of the contemporary black experience in America. More often than not, black people are portrayed in the extreme—either as very rich or very poor, they are demonized, infantilized, ridiculed, idolized or hyper-sexualized; and within the art canon there is a noticeable scarcity of black representation.

In these glowing portraits, control of the colored lighting is given to my subjects, in order to create a space that is participatory and empowered. By including subjects in the creation of the scene and the altering of color, I seek to create photographs that portray individuality in addition to their blackness.

*On the occasion of an exhibition at Bryn Mawr College, September 21 - December 18, 2016

Essay by Carrie Robbins, PhD

11 x 9.25" perfect-bound softcover
52 pages, 22 plates
Limited edition of 600

COLLECTIONS
Amon Carter Museum of Art
Bryn Mawr College
Guggenheim Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Rhode Island School of Design
Schomburg Center / New York Public Library
Whitney Museum