Deana Lawson (b. Rochester, New York, 1979)
Deana Lawson feels as though she was destined to become a photographer. Family ties link her to the history of the medium; her paternal grandmother was the domestic housekeeper for George Eastman, the founder of the Eastman Kodak photography company, now commonly known as Kodak. Years later, her mother became an administrative assistant at the company, working there for decades. For Lawson, photography is the powerful vehicle through which she explores her interest in self-representation—challenging concepts of beauty and documenting the body, particularly the Black body.
Lawson’s work uses the body as a site to examine social, cultural, and global narratives. Her photographs reject the long history of racist and ethnographic depictions of Black communities. Growing up in the 1990s, it was apparent to Lawson that art history and mainstream media did not represent the people and places she encountered in her daily life. Lawson approaches people on the street, collaborating with them to create highly personal yet relatable scenes in intimate settings. The artist has described her process as seeking the familiar and capturing what feels like family—but with strangers.
The works in Diaries of Home are indicative of the many photographic types used in Lawson’s practice, from references to social documentary photography to appropriated vernacular snapshots, landscapes, and portraiture. While her portraits are reminiscent of casual family snapshots taken at home, in fact they are highly choreographed, bursting with symbolic belongings. In Barbara and Mother, 2017, a mother and daughter pose next to one another, aware of the camera and with an air of familiarity and proximal comfort. The pair are casually dressed and surrounded by their possessions, which display a determination to surround themselves with beauty. The women take pride in these objects—trappings that convey a sense of self, identity, and purpose.
Cortez, 2016, presents a young man reclining atop his car. Breaking the fourth wall, Cortez beckons the viewer in to make eye contact and explore his tattoos. Upon further examination, the initial refinement of the composition and scene contrast with the peeling leather seats. The man’s state of repose recalls the art historical odalisque; Lawson subverts stereotypes about Black masculinity by conflating this strong young man with an objectified, reclining female nude. In such images, the artist depicts Black individuals outside of the confines of societal limits and expectations. Lawson creates comprehensive views of contemporary people, families, and communities, representing their layers, nuances, and immeasurable depths.
Deana Lawson, Barbara and Mother, 2017. Inkjet print. 68 7/8 × 55 inches. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas. © Deana Lawson