SCAD Alumni Explore Perceptions of the Black Identity at Photo London

These themes resonate in her video, My Mother, A Portrait of Love, which is one of the works LeSeur is exhibiting at Photo London. This two-channel video features the faces of LeSeur and her mother, both barely visible in an otherwise dark setting.

“That piece means so much to me, because it’s speaking about my relationship with my mother and the love that goes on forever regardless of where we are in life and death,” LeSeur said. “It examines a lesson my mom taught about how darkness will always be there, but it isn’t going to last forever, and you have to fight through it and honor yourself to get to the light.”

Like LeSeur, this will also be Johnson’s first appearance at Photo London, though he is the recipient of several awards and fellowships and has exhibited at the Photography Show by AIPAD and with the European Cultural Center during the 2019 Venice Biennale.

Johnson studied English at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign and photography at Columbia College in Chicago, where he first discovered mixed-media photography—a concept he further explored while at completing his Master of Fine Arts degree in photography at SCAD, as professors encouraged him to experiment with form.

“Physically interacting with the work lets me make emotions tangible,” Johnson said, “so this idea of pushing past the limits of the medium worked for me and for what I wanted to communicate.”

Johnson’s series Monolith— of which several pieces will be exhibited at Photo London—seeks to visually represent the way Blackness is often presented as a singular, monolithic experience. Perfectly suited for mixed-media photography, Johnson explored this theme by digitally and physically collaging pieces of multiple faces so that they appeared to be one large face. The resulting images are striking and make the viewer question how they see the segments, as well as the larger faces they create.

Monolith, is the third iteration of a larger project called #InHonor, which grew out of Johnson’s experience of the Trayvon Martin Case.

“During the case, my mom came to my room and stood there for a moment. I could feel this tension, but then she left,” Johnson said. “The next day we had a conversation about how she felt like she couldn’t protect me as a young, queer Black man, and that triggered things in me that I had been feeling that year. I started to wonder how I could be more vocal and contribute to this movement and honor this multifaceted thing that exists in the fine art world, in the real world, and on social media, which is why it’s called ‘#InHonor.’ The project is really about bringing the work to the people it’s made for. It’s meant to be shared online, because I felt like I wasn’t visible for a long time, and I want it to help others feel visible.”

LeSeur and Johnson’s work was submitted to Photo London through SCAD Art Sales, a full-service art consultancy that offers design and curatorial service to global collectors, businesses, and organizations. Johnson says the partnership, as well as his education, has been a pivotal piece of his success.

On being selected for Photo London, Johnson said, “I’m sort of speechless. As a student, you don’t really see these things for yourself and where your career will take you, so the support at SCAD and the fact that they thought of me just blows my mind. I’ve partnered with SCAD multiple times as an alumni, and I always have good experiences. I’ve been to college three different times, and SCAD is the most amazing experience I’ve had.”

Click to learn more about the SCAD photography program or SCAD Art Sales.

To view more of LeSeur and Johnson’s work, visit the SCAD Photo London booth.