An
Artist’s
Statement
J
a m e l
S
h a b a z z
“Many times I wondered whether my achievement was worth the
loneliness I experienced, but now I realize the price was small.”
The more traditional gangs were long gone, but small crews were ever growing as guns
and drugs started to gain a stronger presence, escalating the already explosive situation.
Seeing this dark cloud of self-destruction on the horizon, I felt an urgent need to take to
the streets to get a sense of what was going on. Armed with a Canon AE1 and a genuine
concern for the people, I mainly sought out the youth who were most at risk. I would
find them at the local high schools, street corners, and on the buses and trains. My sole
objective was to lend my voice to help to deescalate the hate and inspire unity. The
language of photography allowed me to connect and communicate by simply engaging
the youth and letting them know that I saw their greatness and wanted to capture their
essence, all while planting a seed of love for self. To help me navigate through this
difficult terrain, I would often get inspiration by listening to Marvin Gaye’s entire
“What’s Going On,” album before I would embark upon my journey. His words would
feed my soul and provide me with the fortitude I needed, to carry out my mission.
The message that Marvin conveyed with that particular album, is what I wanted to
express with my photographs. From that summer of 1980 until this very day, I am still
on that mission, as the words of Marvin reverberate in my head, to remind me of the
task at hand.
G ordon P arks
I stand on the shoulders of countless men and women who aided in shaping me to be
the man I am today.
It was my father, who first introduced me to the wonders of photography while I was
in my preteens. He was a professional photographer and had a vast library full of
books and publications centered on various aspects of photography. As a curious child,
I gravitated towards so many of those books, but there was one in particular “Black in
White America,” by documentary photographer Leonard Freed, that captivated me.
For the first time, I was seeing photos other than my fathers’ that highlighted the
strength and struggle within the African America community. Leonard’s stunning
images allowed me to see a world outside my isolated housing complex. Hence, a seed
had been planted in my mind. It was then that I became aware of the importance of
photography and knew I wanted to be a photographer like my father and create work
on the level of Leonard Freed.
My photography expedition would officially start during the summer of 1980, after
returning back to North America upon completing a three year tour of duty in the US
Army, in Germany. To my dismay, I would come home to a community that was under
siege and rapidly losing its young people from senseless violence and incarceration.
The images I make are not only about photography; they are in many cases mere frozen
moments that serve as constant reminders of the many people I met during my travels
and they also hold a special meaning for me in my visual diary. What is most important
is that, I want people of the various communities I been blessed to document, to have
a place in the annals of history and it is my sincere desire, to secure their legacies and
inspire the next generation of visionaries.
Jamel Shabazz is best known for his iconic photographs of New York City during the
1980’s. A documentary, fashion and street photographer, he picked up his first camera
nearly forty years ago. He has authored 8 monographs; Back in the days, The Last Sunday
in June, A Time before Crack, Seconds of my Life, The Remix, Represent, Pieces of a
Man, and Sights in the City, as well as contributing to over three dozen other photography
related books. His work has been exhibited in Italy, France, Korea, Turke