Photography has a huge responsibility. It documents the aspirations, stories, and movements of society. Shifting the photographic gaze–breaking from the colonial and patriarchal eye and giving space for marginalized voices to document their histories–is what should be shown in the images we produce. Photography doesn’t have to be inaccessible; it can be an empowering practice which celebrates agency and diversity. However, to call for diversity and visual representation in the photo industry is not enough. To diversify our industries, we must, with intention, actively support BIPOC photographers.

After Peerspace took a close look at the disparities within the photography industry (70% of professional photographers in the U.S. are white), they decided to create a program called Space for Change that would provide access and education to emerging photographers that come from underrepresented backgrounds. This program, which is open for applications until July 21, will sponsor three BIPOC photographers based in the United States, with the goal of nurturing their growth as creative professionals. Here, we talk with Peerspace ambassadors Mark Clennon, Grace Rivera, and Emilynn Rose about the intersections of identity and creativity, as well as the importance of diversifying the photo industry.

Click here to apply and continue reading below!

MARK CLENNON

Mark Clennon is a New York-based photographer with a particular focus on editorial, commercial, and documentary projects. Adeptly jumping between these forms of photography, which he’s been practicing since leaving his tech job in 2017, Mark’s goal is to capture the Black experience in its totality. His images are therefore nuanced and multifaceted, capturing joy, pain, triumph, and everything in between.

“My culture and racial identity is what I am. It’s a constant for me. I embrace it. My photographic practice is fueled by my interests and life experiences. My experiences on this earth inform my work completely. I’m a Black person, I make Black art. Just as I am American making American art. I cannot separate myself from these labels. Water is wet.”

When Mark first started photography, his mission was to show a ‘larger America’ that black people could sell and be the face of campaigns. In his mind, he was exploring how white people viewed black people. However, as he grew as an artist, he came to the realization that his true audience is black people. He’s since shifted his focus onto exploring how black people view themselves, independent of the white gaze.

Yet, despite his own efforts to transmute the white gaze, it remains at work within photography’s practices and technologies. While he pays little attention to any preconceptions of his work, he does, however, think that certain preconceptions are placed on him as a person because of his identity. His experiences are not isolated, rather, black artists who’ve worked in the creative industry deal with similar racism as those in any profession whether media, tech, sports, fashion, academic, etc. He notes, “It’s just a burden we share. I’m thankful I’ve had the flexibility to work as an artist and continue to explore and challenge my own thoughts and opinions. Without a community of black creatives, there’s no way I’d have any sort of success.”

Mark continues, “Communities and industries can only thrive when there’s a diverse set of experiences and perspectives working towards a common goal.” The difference between true diversity in the industry and performative diversity lies in the way that diverse perspectives and experiences are not only highlighted, but also compensated. There are some stories only black people can tell through their particular historical and present-day experiences. They create new ways of seeing and of knowing, and to echo Mark, it’s due time we celebrate these stories and pour into the community of artists that want to document this time of history, the best way they know how.

GRACE RIVERA

Grace Rivera is a Brooklyn-based photographer whose work focuses on diversity, body positivity, and inclusivity—something she’s been doing since before these “buzzwords” became part of the mainstream narrative. Pictured here is her series Tembleques, which she collaborated on with her hairstylist Karen Miller. Grace, alongside Karen, who has Panamanian heritage, came up with this concept that would be to create a modern interpretation of the traditional costume of the Panamanian woman called “La Pollera”, more specifically the headwear known as “Tembleque”–the centerpiece of the costume.

The costume originated in the American colonies of Spain, however, when the wives of wealthy colonists moved to a new continent, their luxuriously dense outfits became uncomfortable in the humid climate of equatorial America. They began to incorporate skirts and blouses made of linen that were decorated with embroidery and lace. Today, it is considered one of the symbols of Panama. This series of images pay homage to the beauty, style, and grace the Panamanian women embody.

Grace’s identity has always been something in question given that she is half Puerto Rican, yet isn’t its stereotypical physical representation. Grace notes, “In this society, you're either too much of something or not enough of it, and people feel the need to categorize and label you based on exterior prejudices. There is no doubt about the fact that I walk through the world as a white woman and benefit from that privilege, however I was raised very connected to my Puerto Rican heritage and have celebrated those traditions my whole life.”

She first started taking pictures at 14, and eventually became captivated by portraiture as photographing people gave her a way to connect and represent even a fraction of someone's story. As a woman especially it's been a mission of hers to represent stories that speak to the female experience and anyone who identifies as such. “Our identities are very much at play in the work we make as artists and that's always something I'm trying to lean more into and embrace in my understanding of the world and the approach that I take with my work.”

Though non-white male photographers are finding more opportunities, assignments are often still based on preconceptions of identity, wherein race and gender are expected to dictate a photographer’s perspective or approach. Moreover, given the digital world we’re living in, there’s an expected emphasis on names and personas that we’re confronted with on social media and the internet at large. Grace writes,

“People are buying into who and what you are as much as, if not more than, the work that you're making. And not even what or who you are, but rather what and who they perceive you to be. Sometimes that will align with your self-perception, often it won't. I think perhaps it's always been that way in the art world, the work is very much influenced by where the artist is coming from and what their experience has been and that's what makes it true to them and the audience that can relate.

However, in the past, that platform has been predominantly occupied by hetero white men and only until recently have people begun to challenge that standard and break the glass ceiling. Art is a powerful tool of communication and as artists we have an opportunity to translate our voices into visual language that can be part of a larger discourse taking place in our society. With millennials and gen-z'ers coming of age—the most diverse generations to date—there's been a massive shift in the art community largely in response to the divisiveness of the country we're living in where we are amplifying and valuing the voices that for so long have not been allowed to have the mic. It's a critically important time in history to be witnessing and it's exciting to be some small part of a group of people taking up space and sharing the validity of our collective experience.”

“The question of the importance of diversity in the industry isn't a new one, but these conversations have made themselves urgent and the ratio of BIPOC to white photographers who are acknowledged is still disturbingly unequal. Creating space for people of color in the industry has a direct correlation to how our society validates and uplifts, and ultimately can begin to recognize those lived experiences/trauma. Images and visual representations of people matter and the tale as old as time that has been reinforced over and over is that whiteness is the only standard of beauty and class and anything outside of that is considered less than. The value in representing the spectrum of diverse voices trickles down to all of the children growing up and for those of us who grew up without seeing ourselves represented positively, if at all, in the media.

In a 2019 study by the Public Library of Science, a group of researchers collected data from 18 major US museums and found that overall 85% of the artists are white and 87% are men. In the art world, and in this case in relation to museums and higher institutions, the failure to diversify those in leadership creates a narrowed Euro-centric lens through which much of the work is curated. It is long overdue and inherently fundamental to the fight for fair and equal representation that space is made and given to artists of color to share their stories and be adequately compensated for their work. The power of art is when a little kid no matter what gender, color, size or class can see themselves portrayed in positive and beautiful ways, they can be empowered to become something or someone. With all that said, however, we can't think that just because you see diverse representations that the revolution is over. Having positive representation can only succeed in changing the conditions of life for an oppressed people when it is part of a broader movement for social change that pushes for actual material redistribution. Otherwise, all we're doing is elevating some into the sphere of the powerful, not in any way working to disrupt the systems that exclude most people from material survival”.

EMILYNN ROSE

Born and raised in the Philippines until 11 years old, Emilynn Rose came to America and subsequently grew up in the Hawthorne/Inglewood area of Los Angeles, CA. “Growing up in this neighbourhood,” she notes, “definitely taught me a lot about different cultures and gave me this amazing perspective of growing up and living in a world that was a melting pot.” Having spent her life surrounded by different backgrounds and ethnicities, she seeks to reflect this diversity through her work. When casting models, she consistently pushes for a diverse cast as she believes that diverse imagery, which celebrates different types of beauty and backgrounds, is essential when dismantling stereotypes of beauty ideals.

“Space needs to be given to BIPOC photographers, so these artists can share their culture to the world and their perspective, because growing up as a person of color, you grow up with certain experiences that differ to non-white creators, experiences, that I believe others need to see and understand.”

As a photographer, Emilynn believes it is her responsibility to help open the eyes of others to her experience, and that of other BIPOC’s, by championing the beauty and creativity that is born out of a more diverse and inclusive world.