Deborah Willis Celebrates 25 Years of ‘Reflections in Black’

How are photographers using new and existing technologies to expand the canon of photography?

An artist like Bisa Butler looks at the archive of photography by using quilting as an intervention in portraiture. The language of photography has changed, not only through new technology but also through the experiences of artists using the medium in new formats. For example, my son, Hank Willis Thomas, explored photography in three-dimensional form with The Embrace (2022). He was inspired to create a three-dimensional sculpture from a photograph he found in an archive of Dr. King and Mrs. King embracing after he received the Nobel Peace Prize. These are some of the moments I find central in expanding the art of photography.

What were some of the aesthetic and curatorial choices you made in the exhibition?

I wanted to invite photographers who were interested in collaborating with me, who had joy in their practice, and wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to show images in historical collections as well as contemporary photographers. When I started selecting images, I embraced themes of love to show beauty, respect, and friendship in the exhibition.

Black love continues to be radical in the face of extreme bigotry and violence from white America. Black love has always been at the center of your work. How does it continue to guide you today?

Studying photography as an art student, the diverse stories of Black families were overlooked. What was missing from the story of the struggle of slavery and freedom was Black love.

A couple years ago, I published The Black Civil War Soldier: A Visual History of Conflict and Citizenship, which I researched over years. In the National Archives, the Schomburg, the Library of Congress, Howard University library, and the WPA Slave Narrative Collection, I discovered oral-history interviews of formerly enslaved people and soldiers. Black love was ignored in many of our history books but it survived in the transcripts of oral histories. Having evidence that these stories existed and were preserved gave me a foundational way to think about Black love, in shaping my history and my work.

How do you think about continuing your legacy and doing the work you set out to do when you began your career?