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Quote by Dawoud Bey

“Black people have been killed for directing their gaze at the wrong person. I want my subjects to reclaim their right to look, to see, to be seen.”

Quote by Dawoud Bey

Book:Dawoud Bey: portraits 1975-1995

Work

Dawoud Bey: portraits 1975-1995

This book is a comprehensive compilation of Dawoud Bey's photographic portraits taken over two decades, capturing the diversity and complexity of human experience. Bey's work is known for its thoughtful composition and the way it engages with the subjects' personal narratives, reflecting on themes of race, class, and culture. more

Author

Dawoud Bey is an American photographer known for his profound exploration of race, identity, and history. His work often focuses on the African American community in the United States, capturing the changes in American society through photography. more

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“If done well, I believe the photographic representation of the human subject has the potential to be more revealing than what is revealed by the eye alone, since the human glance is usually a momentary one.”

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“I believe it is one of our biggest tasks - the task of our life - to do everything possible to counter poverty and to build a freedom-loving future.”

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“In the long run I don't think anyone can overlook these images of hunger, that people can ignore all my pictures - no, definitely not. And even if only a vague impression remains, in time this will create a basis that will help people distinguish between what is good and what is objectionable.”

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“If I give someone a horsetail he will have no difficulty making a photographic enlargement of it - anyone can do that. But to observe it, to notice and discover its forms, is something that only a few are capable of.”

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