ICONS: CARRIE MAE WEEMS

Words by Shaniqwa Jarvis

While I was in college I worked for a bookstore in Soho, New York called A Photographer's Place. There I was introduced to the work of Carrie Mae Weems. At the time my knowledge of African American female photographers was limited so I used to obsess over the two books of Weems that we carried in the shop. So much that when I left I was given a copy of her book from The National Museum of Women in the Arts collection. 

Her story is truly inspirational to me. She left home at a young age with her young child, attended Cal Arts, curated photography shows, received her MFA and produced one of my favourite photographic series titled, The Kitchen Table series which was her own response about what was happening at the time, not just with women of colour, but all women.

Her approach of working around her own kitchen table, where most domestic action happens, and controlling the process really inspired my own personal series titled This Charming Man. This was a series where I shot a select group of young men in their homes. The images appear to be documents, but I actually controlled the environment where they then played out their societal roles, sartorially and emotionally.

Overall, Weems’ use of colour, text and the content she chose to explore has hugely inspired my work and my process as a photographer.

@sheekswinsalways