As I grow older, I’m starting to be more conscious and inquisitive about my position in this world, as a black man, as an artist, and as a child tangled in the history of a country that doesn’t care about me. During my two years in graduate school, the idea of representation has been on my mind and the basis of my thesis. Being a black man living in the United States, I’ve had to grow up with a sense of double consciousness. According to WEB Dubois, double consciousness refers to the idea of staying true to the black culture while being able to conform to the rules of the white society. This idea has transformed into a way of life for me. I found that when you aren’t vigilant or aware of the space you hold as a black person within this social climate and environment, it’ll do you more harm than good.
My thesis project highlights current black artists from different sectors and backgrounds within the culture that I find important to me. I’ve decided to separate this project into two components. The first component is the photography series. In order to make this project effective, I had to make sure that I wasn’t just meeting with my friends and acquaintances. The focus of the project was to include and talk about the place that I’ve grown up and hold close to my heart, New York. Using the abundance of resources that I have at my fingertips, I put out a model call on social media to reach out to the black community to help me with this project.
sebmadeitt 