Kenwanna 1996

Dawoud Bey's photograph 'Kenwanna' is made up of four polaroid images, assembled in a grid. Kenwanna sits at a table and looks directly at us. The colors are very muted, and the images are quite dark, but her presence shines out. I wonder what it was like for Dawoud Bey to make this work? How long did he spend with Kenwanna? What did they talk about? Bey's work is often about representation and identity, particularly of Black subjects. In ‘Kenwanna’ you can see that, even though there are four images, there's still a sense of mystery. It’s like, who is this person? I want to know more about her. The choice of using polaroids is interesting, as they have a particular look and feel, and the way they are laid out in the grid makes it really special. Bey's art feels like a conversation with other photographers, such as Roy DeCarava. It is like they are passing ideas around, and each one builds on what came before. It reminds me that art is not just about what you see, but about feeling, imagining, and connecting with others through time.