Dawoud Bey: An American Project

Apr 17–Oct 3, 2021

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Syracuse, NY

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For much of the 1980s Bey continued to use the same slightly wide-angle lens and 35mm camera that he had used to make Harlem, U.S.A. Increasingly attuned to the formal and expressive geometries of the camera’s rectangular frame, he explored new ways to make use of shadow and light to help define a dynamic and improvisational composition. These aesthetic choices were deeply informed by the photographers he knew and studied, most importantly Roy DeCarava (1919–2009).

In 1985 Bey had a residency at Light Work in Syracuse, New York. Residencies and the projects that grew out of them would become a key aspect of his career, allowing him to focus on one place or organization and incorporate that specificity into his work. In this series of photographs made in Syracuse, Bey portrays the city’s Black community. He noted: “It was a deliberate choice to foreground the Black subject in those photographs, giving them a place not only in my pictures . . .  but on the wall[s] of galleries and museums when that work was exhibited.”

  • A car parked in an empty backyard.
    A car parked in an empty backyard.

    Dawoud Bey, Car in Backyard, Syracuse, NY, 1985. Gelatin silver print (printed 2019), 20 × 24 in. (50.8 × 61 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy Sean Kelly Gallery, New York; Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago; and Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco. © Dawoud Bey

  • A young woman sitting down and combing the hair of a young girl.
    A young woman sitting down and combing the hair of a young girl.

    Dawoud Bey, Combing Hair, Syracuse, NY, 1986. Gelatin silver print (printed 2019), 20 × 24 in. (50.8 × 61 cm). Courtesy the artist and Sean Kelly Gallery, New York; Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago; and Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco. © Dawoud Bey

  • Four teenagers standing on the side of a stage in a church.
    Four teenagers standing on the side of a stage in a church.

    Dawoud Bey, Four Teenagers after Church Service, Syracuse, NY, 1985. Gelatin silver print (printed 2019), 20 × 24 in. (50.8 × 61 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy Sean Kelly Gallery, New York; Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago; and Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco. © Dawoud Bey

  • A close-up of two boys outside.
    A close-up of two boys outside.

    Dawoud Bey, Two Boys, Syracuse, NY, from Syracuse, NY, 1985. Gelatin silver print (printed 2019), 20 × 24 in. (50.8 × 61 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy Sean Kelly Gallery, New York; Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago; and Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco. © Dawoud Bey

  • Clothes are left to dry on raised string between two houses.
    Clothes are left to dry on raised string between two houses.

    Dawoud Bey, Clothes Drying on the Line, Syracuse, NY, 1985. Gelatin silver print (printed 2019), 20 × 24 in. (50.8 × 61 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy Sean Kelly Gallery, New York; Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago; and Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco. © Dawoud Bey. Image courtesy the artist and Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago

  • A woman rests against a counter inside a shop, waiting for a bus.
    A woman rests against a counter inside a shop, waiting for a bus.

    Dawoud Bey, A Young Woman Waiting for the Bus, Syracuse, NY, 1985. Gelatin silver print (printed 2019), 20 × 24 in. (50.8 × 61 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy Sean Kelly Gallery, New York; Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago; and Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco. © Dawoud Bey

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Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

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