Ayana V. Jackson, To be Black And Female in the Spanish South West, 2023. Courtesy of the Artist and Mariane Ibrahim
Five more snappy new photography exhibitions for summer
In its roundup of noteworthy photography exhibitions opening this summer, the Financial Times highlights the 57th edition of Les Rencontres d’Arles, emphasizing the festival's commitment to both rediscovered historical figures and leading contemporary voices. The article points to presentations ranging from Paul Kodjo’s documentation of 1970s nightlife in Côte d’Ivoire to projects that reconsider overlooked narratives through the lens of photography.
Among the featured exhibitions is a solo presentation by Ayana V. Jackson, whose work reimagines historical figures and interrogates the construction of identity, memory, and representation. The article specifically notes her portrayals of women such as Mary Fields, the first Black woman employed as a Star Route postwoman in the United States. Accompanying the feature is Jackson’s photograph To be Black And Female in the Spanish South West, in the Style of Selika Lazevski (2023), underscoring the artist’s ongoing engagement with overlooked histories and her distinctive approach to self-portraiture as a tool for historical reclamation.
