In Social Season, Miranda Barnes’ debut photo book published by MACK’s imprint Important Flowers, cotillions are spaces where teens tenderly display pride and aspiration
“I picked up a camera because it was my choice of weapon against what I hated most about the universe: racism, intolerance and poverty” – Gordon Parks
Since the dawn of the medium, a photographer’s control over their subject – what to show and how to frame it – has rendered photography a partner of colonialism. Authentic experiences of Black and non-white people have been erased in lieu of objectification and fetishisation by the white gaze. But every day, new artists are taking back power.
From Nadine Ijewere’s vibrant celebration of Jamaican heritage to Zanele Muholi’s defiant representations of Black queerness in South Africa, this collection champions radical and nuanced reclamations of space and autonomy, both within the art world and beyond.