Colony Little, Culture Shock Art

“Any photographer that’s been out here in the world, you see 2 people in white, you follow them…” Shawn Walker, VMFA 2017.

As one of the founding members of Kamoinge, Shawn Walker dedicated his life’s work to black and white photography. He counts Roy DeCarava as one of his strongest influences, and in his 2017 VMFA talk with Beuford Smith, Walker showed this image that draws heavily on DeCarava’s eye.

My favorite photo is one that he took of two men in front of a church on Easter Sunday, and the image reminds me of one of my favorite paintings by Barkley Hendricks. There’s something about a white hat and a white suit that just makes me smile. These juxtaposition between the two knocks me out.