1993-2001 | Gallery D – Inye Wokoma • Artist

Early Explorations | Social Documenary Vol. 1

“God Bless:Million Man March” | 1995

During this first decade pursuing photography my confidence in establishing a distinct visual language grew rapidly. My attraction to strong lines, weighted thirds. Intentional use of negative space, and calling on the lower zones of the tonal scale as the subjective center of my photos became clear. Nevertheless, I think I was still grappling with my overall identity as a photographer. I spent almost as much time wandering the streets taking photos as asking friends to be subjects for portraiture. It is out of these wanderings that I began to develop my sense of visual reflexivity. A responsiveness to the moment that would help me explore another important area of my life, the world of Black political activism.

Photographers that documented 20th century Black politics were just as influential to my creative identity as those that created the most iconic images of Black culture. Where Roy DeCarava threaded a delicate visual path through the mundane moments of Black life, photographers like Chester Higgings and Gordon Parks created bodies of work that were kaleidoscopic in nature. They lent their eyes to the mundane and the

extraordinary, documenting politics, culture, and people.

The range of possibilities these photographers covered in creating photographic discourse were so wide, it felt at times there were no new territories to explore for a young artist hoping to add something meaningful to the conversation. This couldn’t be further from the truth, of course. There was still plenty to say, as the explosive realities of Black life in America continued to evolve unabated. The challenge for photographers my age were greater, not only because my predecessors set the bar so high, but because the danger of imitation and repetition were ever present.

The work in this gallery covers some of my efforts in this regard. Spanning a relatively short window, 1995 through 1998, I am primarily engaged in three massive events, The Million Man March, Washington, DC, 1995, The Million Woman March, Philadelphia, PA, 1997, and The Million Youth March, Harlem, NYC, NY, 1998. As public events, they provided me, as a novice photographer, to test my understanding of story, context, subtext, and subjectivity in political imagery. I also wanted to expand the territory established by my predecessors without falling into the trap of merely replicating their efforts. As a pursuit, this is a fairly brief window of activity in my early work, defined somewhat by the fact that I would not begin working as an editorial professional for many years. Thus the access afforded by showing up on assignment was not a privilege I would be able to wield. Still, these events provided me with ample opportunities to test myself in ways that were exciting, and often intimidating.