The Black Perspective: The Vision and Voice
PhotoSC celebrates the photography of a diverse group of Black photographers from across the nation in an exhibition ~
The Black Perspective: The Vision & Voice
918 Lady Street, Columbia, SC 29201
This timely exhibition presents lived experiences, cultural legacies and social realities of being African American in a country still reckoning with its history of race and identity – all thru the personal lens of photography. Images that are powerful reflections of the broad social landscape and struggle of African Americans across our nation.
Arnika Dawkins of Arnika Dawkins Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia selected work from 15 photographers for this unique showing. Dawkins states: “This body of photographic work is rooted in a pursuit of feeling; imagery that reaches beyond the surface to engage the heart, the mind, and the eye simultaneously.”
May 28, 2026 - June 19, 2026
En Passant 2025 | Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Bright White 310 | Harlem, New York City
A chess player studies the board during a community block party on a Harlem street, deep in concentration, chin resting on his fist. En passant is a chess term, a move that captures a piece in passing, a moment that exists only briefly before it's gone. The brownstones behind him have watched this same scene for decades. I wanted to document that continuity, the quiet, unhurried intelligence, strategy, and determination of Black public life that often goes unseen.
Harlem Nimbus 2021 | Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Bright White 310 | Harlem, New York City
A solitary figure at rest on a park bench in Harlem, late at night. Backlit by passing headlights, the light wraps around them like a corona, a nimbus. I didn't know who they were or what they were carrying. I only knew the light made them sacred. This image is about the invisible weight people carry in public space, and the grace that persists anyway. The street is not always kind. But there is dignity in simply being present in it.
Tethered 2025 | Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Bright White 310 | Harlem, New York City
A couple at Juneteenth in Harlem, her arm around his shoulder, both looking out into the crowd, their connection felt without words. They are tethered to each other in the middle of the celebration. This image is about what freedom looks like when it's personal and quiet rather than declarative. Two people, held within a larger community. That's what Black joy looks like to me, freedom to be, and freedom to love.
