Photoville

Zakiyyah Woods
Zakiyyah Woods
Poochie Collins
Kaylah Sambo
Yolanda Hoskey

Our Black Experience showcases four Black Women photographers in New York City, each with a story that represents their experience through life as a Black Woman. These artists invite you to look through their lens at an intimate view of their lives. Their work holds themes of beauty, self love, community and the everyday of their world.

Kaylah Sambo – As a Queens, NY native I have always been surrounded by people of all kinds and, from a young age I was particularly interested in creating portraits. I started my film photography journey at the international center of photography at 13 and instantly fell in love with the process from start to finish, which influences my work in many ways. Film taught me, in a digital age, to slow down and sit with my art in every step of the process. I went to an amazing but predominantly white college, SCAD, which helped me to discover the most important aspect to my work is the representation of Black people. By exploring the multidimensionality of blackness, I am discovering myself.

Poochie Collins – Inspired by love, I choose to communicate to the world by showing the most intimate parts of myself through my subjects’ reflections. With my community’s continuous support and guidance from my ancestors, I am on a constant journey of rediscovery. Unbeknownst to me, my work has become the breadcrumbs of my life story, depicted through reflections of people, documenting moments of stillness, and finding my way back to myself. Photography has soothed and healed me through movement and celebration of self and community. As I evolve, how I communicate with the world will change, be guided by light, and will always be rooted in love.

Yolanda Hoskey – My work is driven by the notion that blackness is non-monolithic. Growing up, I would see the same archetypes of blackness portrayed in the media, contrary to the examples around me in my day-to-day life. I imagine a world where blackness is documented as multi-dimensional. In my images, I feel it necessary to visualize black people as dynamic, soft, free, and unapologetic. I use a mixture of portraiture, documentary, and fashion photography as tools to express these ideas. As an image maker, I aim to create a truer, more nuanced catalog of the black identity.

Zakiyyah Woods – The news coming out of Bed-Stuy in the mass media during the 80s and 90s did not fully reflect what I saw in my community. There was joy, love, success, family units, traditions, history, milestones, etc. but the world didn’t know that. My street and documentary photography elevates Blackness. It adds to the ever-growing collection of images made by other descendants of the diaspora that continually shows love to all Black people and aims to be a guide of how to get it right for future storytellers of similar backgrounds.

 

Artist Bios

  • Kaylah Sambo

    As a Queens, NY native I have always been surrounded by people of all kinds and, from a young age I was particularly interested in creating portraits. I started my film photography journey at the international center of photography at 13 and instantly fell in love with the process from start to finish, which influences my work in many ways. Film taught me, in a digital age, to slow down and sit with my art in every step of the process. I went to an amazing but predominantly white college, SCAD, which helped me to discover the most important aspect to my work is the representation of Black people. By exploring the multidimensionality of blackness, I am discovering myself.

  • Poochie Collins

    Inspired by love, I choose to communicate to the world by showing the most intimate parts of myself through my subjects’ reflections. With my community’s continuous support and guidance from my ancestors, I am on a constant journey of rediscovery. Unbeknownst to me, my work has become the breadcrumbs of my life story, depicted through reflections of people, documenting moments of stillness, and finding my way back to myself. Photography has soothed and healed me through movement and celebration of self and community. As I evolve, how I communicate with the world will change, be guided by light, and will always be rooted in love.

  • Yolanda Hoskey

    My work is driven by the notion that blackness is non-monolithic. Growing up, I would see the same archetypes of blackness portrayed in the media, contrary to the examples around me in my day-to-day life. I imagine a world where blackness is documented as multi-dimensional. In my images, I feel it necessary to visualize black people as dynamic, soft, free, and unapologetic. I use a mixture of portraiture, documentary, and fashion photography as tools to express these ideas. As an image maker, I aim to create a truer, more nuanced catalog of the black identity.

  • Zakiyyah Woods

    The news coming out of Bed-Stuy in the mass media during the 80s and 90s did not fully reflect what I saw in my community. There was joy, love, success, family units, traditions, history, milestones, etc. but the world didn’t know that. My street and documentary photography elevates Blackness. It adds to the ever-growing collection of images made by other descendants of the diaspora that continually shows love to all Black people and aims to be a guide of how to get it right for future storytellers of similar backgrounds.

Organizations

  • Black Women Photographers

    Black Women Photographers

    Founded by Polly Irungu, and launched in July of 2020, Black Women Photographers (BWP) is a global community, directory, and hub of over 1,500 Black women and non-binary identifying photographers, spanning over 60 countries and 35+ U.S. states. To date, BWP has provided over $115,000 in financial grants to Black creatives.

  • MPB

    MPB

    MPB transforms the way that people buy, sell and trade photo and video gear. As the largest global platform for used photography and videography equipment, MPB is a destination for everyone, whether you’ve just discovered your passion for visual storytelling or you’re already a pro.

    Founded by Matt Barker in 2011, MPB has always been committed to making gear more accessible and affordable, and helping to visualize a more sustainable future. MPB recirculates more than 485,000 used products every year, extending the life and creative potential of photo and video equipment for creators around the world.

    Headquartered in the creative communities of Brooklyn, Brighton and Berlin, the MPB team includes trained camera experts and seasoned photographers and videographers who bring their passion to work every day to deliver outstanding service.

Our Black Experience: Stories from Black Women Photographers

 archive : 2023

Featuring: Kaylah Sambo Poochie Collins Yolanda Hoskey Zakiyyah Woods

Presented by: Black Women Photographers & MPB
  • Black Women Photographers
  • MPB

Supported by:

  • Photoville
  • Digital Silver Imaging

Locations

ON VIEW AT: Container 18

View Location Details Download a detailed map of this location Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza

1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Number 1 on the official photoville map Click to download this year's map

This location is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park
Explore other locations and exhibitions nearby

Related Events

Jun 42023

Black Women Photographers Container-side chat

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Jun 42023

Meet the Artists of: Our Black Experience

Join the artists of Our Black Experience: Stories From Black Women Photographers for a container-side chat about their work, their exhibition, and the stories that they have selected to represent their experiences of life as Black Women.

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This website was made possible thanks to the generous support and partnership of Photowings