Suspect Device

A Smörgåsbord of Miscellania

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Mid-career Retrospective Opens September 12 at the little showroom in DC

For its inaugural opening on Sept. 12, coinciding with DC’s citywide Art All Night, the little showroom will present a mid-career retrospective of my work

On display will be selected works from projects I have created since 2012, including “Path to Insurrection,” “Truly Blessed,” “Gratuity Included,” “Leather Boyz,” “Old Customs,” and “Suspect Device.” The exhibition will also feature selections from my DC-based street photography, which has garnered numerous awards from photography festivals worldwide, including the Brussels Street Photography Festival, Xposure in the UAE, and the Moment Street Photo Awards in Poland.

In addition to mounted work, visitors will see preview prints from my upcoming projects: the conceptual “I’ll Be Your Mirror” and the debut of “Mexican Silhouettes.”

To accompany the exhibit, I will release a limited edition run of 36 T-shirts featuring three designs, each paired with a print of the photograph depicted on the shirt.

The exhibition runs from Sept. 12 through Oct. 16, with an opening reception on Sept. 12 from 6–9 p.m. Subsequent weekends will feature educational programming, including a lecture and workshop, culminating in a closing reception.

About the little showroom

the little showroom is a thoughtfully curated space that unites contemporary art and high-end vintage in an environment rooted in creativity, culture, and community. Founded by Casandra Marie — a longtime Palisades business owner and creative professional — the little showroom builds on a decade of deep neighborhood ties and an unwavering passion for accessible yet elevated art experiences.

Visitor Information

Mon - Tue by appointment Wed - Fri 1pm - 5pm, Sat 12-4pm

the little showroom 4836 MacArthur Blvd NW, Washington, DC 20007 202.430.9984 thelittleshowroomdc.com and instagram/thelittleshowroomdc

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Truly Blessed - Slide Show, Book Talk and Closing Reception

This coming weekend will be a busy one. On Saturday, June 29, I will be presenting a slide show and book talk about Truly Blessed at Maryland Meadworks in Hyattsville, Marland. The event starts at 7pm and I will narrate the photographic process behind the making of the book. After the slide show there will be a conversation with Jason Hamacher of Lost Origins Gallery and Bilal Ali, book contributor and photographic subject. We will discuss, race, sexuality and faith, and the discrimination that faces queer African Americans on all three fronts. On Saturday, we will celebrate the closing of the exhibit for Truly Blessed at Lost Origins Gallery in Mount Pleasant, DC, with a special live podcast of Stage Craft with legendary DC music producer Don Zientara and Alex Vidales of the band Pilot Waves. Zientara and Vidales will not only discuss the exhibit but also my early music career as a member of The Suspects and owner of Torque Records. Bilal Ali will also speak to the exhibit. Details Truly Blessed - Slide Show and Conversation with Bilal Ali and Jason Hamacher Saturday, June 29th, 7-9 pm Free Maryland Meadworks 4700 Rhode Island Ave., Suite Bee Hyattsville, MD 20781 Truly Blessed - Closing Reception with the Stage Craft Podcast Sunday, June 30th, 3-6 pm Free Lost Origins Gallery 3110 Mt Pleasant St NW, 2nd Floor Washington, DC 20010 About the book and exhibition “Truly Blessed” documents a marginalized community’s response to racial and religious discrimination. Working closely with the Community Church of Washington, Suspect uses his camera to contrast the sacred and secular.

“Sometimes it is only through photographs that we can see the sacred in the secular, or the secular in the sacred. This collection, Truly Blessed, uses photography to forge a conversation between the sacred black church and secular sexual/erotic spaces, capturing sites where the body, mind, and spirit converge. Suspect’s attention to the subtlety of the performances of everyday people—engaging in rituals of their own choosing—illustrates the diverse and dynamic realities of being black and queer in America.” – Jeffery Q. McCune, PhD Frederick Douglass Professor of American-American Literature and Culture, University of Rochester.

For more info visit https://lostorigins.gallery/exhibitions/truly-blessed/ To see a selection of work from this exhibit visit https://www.chrissuspect.com/truly-blessed

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"Path to Insurrection" Exhibition Catalog for Flashback Museum, Torino, Italy

The exhibition catalog for my “Path to Insurrection” exhibit is now hot off the presses. It contains all 115 images from the exhibit in Torino, Italy, at Flashback Habitat museum. The exhibit spans 5 rooms and 3 terraces and is divided into 6 sections, “Election Night,” “Trump’s Inauguration,” “Women’s March,” “Protests from 2017 - 2020,” “Biden Wins,” “January 6,” and “Biden’s Inauguration.”

The forward is written by Jim Bourg, Reuters Photos Editor in Charge of Washington. Bourg served throughout the 2016 election, the Trump administration and the tumultuous 2020 presidential election and its aftermath.

Chris Suspect’s gritty, in your face, in the midst of the action style was a perfect fit as he set out to capture the chaos and conflict on the streets of Washington throughout the 4 years of the Trump administration and at the end of the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign, with its contentious and at times violent aftermath. Renowned war photographer Robert Capa said back in 1954: “If your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” This has never been a problem for Chris. His work in PATH TO INSURRECTION consistently takes the reader into the midst of the action. Some of his images harken back to the stark black and white realism of Weegee, the bizarre and sometimes shocking street portraits of Diane Arbus, or the street photography of his classic inspirations Elliot Erwitt, Josef Koudelka and Garry Winogrand. Not considering himself a news photographer or constrained by specific assignments or deadlines, his motivation is consistently to just to make the most compelling, interesting and unique images possible.

The catalog will be available soon by mail order world wide from King Koala Press in Italy.

The exhibit itself is wild! When one enters the hallway to the exhibition rooms, you are greeted with the sound of protest, a police light, and smoke from a fog machine.

It has been featured in all of Italy’s national media and in several international art publications. From TV to radio to print, it has been getting a lot coverage.

The exhibition runs through June 2 and then will travel to another country in Europe in November, TBA!

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How Truly Blessed Came to Be

In this video filmed and edited by Yu Sung Cho for King Koala, I discuss the origins for my new photo book, Truly Blessed, which literally happened by accident! It’s a powerful visual story about a community’s response to discrimination, both racial and religious. And the background story behind the book is pretty amazing. Published by King Koala Press in Italy, this 128 page volume features 60 striking black and white photographs using the deepest black ink available in the world by one of Italy’s finest book printers.

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DCSPC and Chris Suspect presents Jim Saah's In My Eyes and Matt Cabani's Anthem at Slash Run

Join the DC Street Photography Collective and Chris Suspect in presenting the work of Jim Saah’s In My Eyes - Photographs 1982-1997 and Matt Cabani’s Anthem at Slash Run in Washington, DC, on Friday, November 10 at 7:30pm.

Jim Saah’s career in photography started when he documented the punk scene in Washington, DC in the early 1980’s. His photographs have been featured on many books and records, including Our Band Could Be Your Life and the cover of Fugazi’s Repeater album.

Jim will be presenting In My Eyes - Photographs 1982-1997, a massive hard cover art book of his early music photography featuring hundreds of never before seen photos of Fugazi, Minor Threat, Void, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Dead Kennedys, Jawbox, Government Issue, The Faith, Iron Cross and more.  

Jim’s work has been featured in the Washington Post and Rolling Stone, and he has been the principle photographer for two feature films, Salad Days: A Decade of Punk In Washington, D.C. and CREEM: America’s Only Rock & Roll Magazine.

Jacopo Buranelli from King Koala Press in Milan, Italy, will be presenting Anthem by photographer Matt Cabani and published by King Koala Press. From Milan, Italy, Cabani is the founder of Hellfire Booking Agency. He has shot his way through every corner of the music world over the past three decades. His work can be spotted on album covers, international fanzines, books, music videos, and even hardcore fans’ bedroom walls.

Call for Entries

In celebration of Jim Saah and King Koala’s Anthem by Matt Cobani, we have a call for entries for your best music photography shots. We are looking for anything associated with music, whether it’s the ultimate stage dive image, a candid of audience members, a band setting their drums on fire, or a contemplative portrait of a band or artist. All music forms are welcome.

Please send no more than 5 photos 2000px on the long edge at 72dpi to [email protected] by Midnight EST on November 3rd. Please label your files in this manner. First Name-Last Name_Band/Artist_Name-Date_Shot-Number.jpg. E.g. Chris-Suspect_Taylor-Swift_021423_1.jpg

About the Event

On Friday, November 10 selected photos will be shown live in front of an audience to a jury of artists and professional photographers. Jury members include Cynthia Connollly (Banned in DC), Lisa Walker (House photographer for Anthem, 9:30 Club and Merriweather Post Pavilion), Jim Saah, and Jacopo Buranelli from King Koala. Each judge will briefly comment on the image and give it a rating from 1-5. The winner, who must be present in person, will receive a copy of In My Eyes - Photographs 1982-1997. Second place will receive Anthem.

Following the photo slam, Jaco from King Koala will give a presentation on Matt Cabani’s Anthem and Jim Saah will discuss In My Eyes - Photographs 1982-1997.

To top off the evening, we will have a special performance from one of DC’s most currently beloved hardcore bands. For now, it’s a secret. The band will be announced the day before the show.

Also, books will be available for purchase from Jim Saah, King Koala Press, Cynthia Connolly, and Chris Suspect.

Schedule

7:30 pm Doors 8:00 - 9:00 pm Music Photography Judging 9:10 - 9:40 pm Jacopo Buranelli presents Anthem

9:45 - 10:30 pm Jim Saah presents In My Eyes - Photographs 1982-1997

11:00 - 11:30 pm Special musical performance 

Tickets are $20. All ages. Arrive early as there is limited seating.

Slash Run in located at 201 Upshur St NW, Washington, DC 20011

Did you know?

Slash Run has some of the best burgers in DC (including vegan options). It’s true - just ask Washingtonian Magazine. It also has an ample supply of micro brews and top shelf quality booze.

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DCSPC Presents King Koala at Slash Run, Thursday, May 18

Join the DC Street Photography Collective and Chris Suspect in presenting King Koala from Italy at Slash Run in Washington, DC, on May 18 at 7:30pm. King Koala is a DIY publisher of art books out of Milan, Italy, specializing in erotic, edgy, punk rock and forbidden photographs, stories, and art projects.

Call for Entries

In celebration of King Koala’s first American tour, we are announcing a call for entries, “Send us your n00ds!” We are looking for candid or posed, suggestive, erotic, and punk rock  photography that is sex positive, LGBTQ+ inclusive, with artistic sensibilities. Yes, that picture you took at Pride is fine, yes, that sexy drag performer photo is welcome here, yes, your kinky bedroom antics imagery will be accepted with open arms, that band you shot last weekend is cool too, and those secret polaroids in a shoebox under your bed, well, we want to see them! 

Please send no more than 5 photos 2000px on the long edge at 72dpi to [email protected] by Midnight EST on May 11. Please label your files in this manner. First Name_Last Name-Number.jpg. Want to remain anonymous? Yes, you can! While you do need to submit via email to [email protected], please request that we not use your name (in case it’s obvious in the email address) and you can title your image file John (or Jane) Doe-Number.jpg. The only catch is that if you win the competition and you really want that camera we are giving away (see below), I ask that you discreetly let me know shortly after the photo slam section of our event.

About the Event

On May 18th selected photos will be shown to a jury of your peers in front of a live audience. Jury members include Jacopo Buranelli from King Koala, DC-based photographer Diriki Rice, Nymph the Enchantress, and one more TBD. Each judge will briefly comment on the image and give it a rating from 1-5. The Winner, who must be present in person, will receive a brand new Lomography Belair X 6-12 film camera. Following the photo slam, Jaco from King Koala will give a presentation on what it’s like to be a publisher, the artists he works with, and what he is looking for in photography and art. Then Nymph the Enchantress will grace us with a photo op not to be missed with a real live BDSM demonstration. And, to top off the evening, Jaco, an established DJ in Milan will be gracing us with a set of down and dirty hip hop. Tickets are $15. 18+ Arrive early as there is limited seating.

Schedule

7:30 Doors 8:00 Photo Slam 9:00 Jaco from King Koala 10:00 Nymph the Enchantress 10:30 DJ set by Jaco from King Koala 

Dress to impress!

Location

Slash Run 201 Upshur Street Northwest Washington, DC, 20011 (map) Google Calendar / ICS

About King Koala and Jacopo Buranelli aka Rudeboy Jaco founder of King Koala 

Jaco is a publisher, DJ and social promoter. In 2020 he created King Koala Press to work with independent artists on editorial projects related to erotic, inclusive, uncensored and no-prejudice photography. Always in the underground world, he lived between Italy and Japan for almost 17 years until, together with Andrea Costarelli, he created the Lito studio for the promotion of art, the headquarters of every King Koala initiative.

King Koala is an independent collective focused on publications of underground culture with the aim of recovering the physical use of art. The book, the publication becomes a physical (not virtual) experience both in its print nature and in the photographic contents ranging from the fetish magazines Badseed Magazine and YSM up to projects related to graffiti (Greatest Hits, IMAGES YOU SHOULD NOT MASTURBATE TO) and to the musical galaxies (Anthem). This event was possible thanks to the donation made in memoriam of Steve Nickerson

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DC Street Photography Collective "Hiding in Plain Sight" Exhibit at Project Create in Washington, DC

The DC Street Photography Collective that I am a member of has an exhibit entitled "Hiding in Plain Sight" on view at Project Create in Anacostia, DC, that runs through Feb 18.

We have some programming you may be interested in.

Sunday, January 29 - 2 -4 PM - Gallery Open

Saturday, Feb 4 - 2:30 - 3:30 PM DC SPC Members Sofia Sebastian and Ashley Tillery will talk about their work and approach to street photography in DC and beyond. Gallery open from 2 - 4 pm.

Sunday, Feb 12 - 2:30 - 3:30 PM DC SPC Member Chris Suspect will present his work from Mexico and discuss how he navigates photography in different countries. Gallery open from 2 - 4 pm.

Saturday, February 18 - 6 - 10 PM - Closing Night Reception. Winners for DC SPC Contest announced, cocktails, cheese and cake!

THE CONTEST

For photographers in the DMV (or within a 3 hour drive). Submit up to 5 of your best street photos on Instagram - tagged with #dc_spc_2023show - by midnight ET February 4, 2023. Photos can be taken anywhere at any time. The winning entries judges by DC SPC members will be exhibited at the show's closing event, Saturday, February 18, at 6 PM at Project Create in historic Anacostia.

Note: Submission is free, but selected photographers will be asked to pay the minimal cost of professional printing.

Project Create is located at 2208 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., SE, DC, and is a brief walk from the Anacostia Metro stop on the Green Line.

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Fashion Shoot in Ixtepeji, Oaxaca for PAY'S

While I was in Mexico I slipped away from my Day of the Dead workshop to work on a quick collaboration with the hip fashion brand PAY’S from Mexico City. PAY’S genderless style is a creative mash up of Mexican pop culture, Aztec folk art and modern streetwear chic. This is one of the most imaginative and vibrant Mexican brands out there right now. We shot this in the pine forrest of Ixtepeji, about 1.5 hours from Oaxaca City, during sunset. The forrest is really high in the mountains and the views are breathtaking. Afterwards we all went to SET Underground’s Tierra de los Muertos festival, saw Jan Blomqvist spin, and partied all night long.

Thanks to Saabi, Clara and Kelly for modeling!

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Day of the Dead, Oaxaca 2022 - Student Slide Show

Here is the student slide show from my 2022 Day of the Dead Street Photography Workshop in Oaxaca, Mexico. All the students did great work and we had an amazing exhibition at the end at Central del Arte where lots of people came out to check out our prints. I’d say this was probably one of the best workshops I have run to date with day trips to graveyards and local villages, lectures from top notch Mexican photographers, fabulous food, and of course amazing mezcal.

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Day of the Dead Photography Exhibition in Oaxaca at Central de Arte

Les esperamos este jueves 3 de noviembre en el centro de arte ubicado en Murguía 102, Ruta Independencia, Centro Oaxaca. de 7.00 PM a 8.30 PM para la exposición fotográfica con el trabajo producido por mis alumnos durante el taller de este año enfocado en el dia de muertos en Oaxaca. La entrada al evento es gratis y se expondrá fotografía y video, también habra tragos coquetos y estará Sonido San Francisco como nuestro DJ set.

Chris Suspect es un fotógrafo callejero y documental de Washington, DC. Se especializa en capturar momentos absurdos y profundos de la vida cotidiana. Su trabajo de fotografía callejera ha sido reconocido internacionalmente, y se ha exhibido en Miami, Bélgica, Alemania, Italia, Rumania, Georgia, Emiratos Árabes Unidos y Reino Unido.

Join us on Thursday, Nov 3 at Central de Arte, Murguía 102, Ruta Independencia, Centro, in Oaxaca City, Mexico, from 7 -8:30 p.m. for a photography exhibition featuring the work produced by my students during this year's Day of the Dead workshop in Oaxaca. It’s free and there will be photography, a video projection, drinks, and a DJ set by Sonido San Francisco.

Chris Suspect is a street and documentary photographer from Washington, DC. He specializes in capturing absurd and profound moments of everyday life. His street photography work has been recognized internationally, and has been exhibited in Miami, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Romania, Georgia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

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Punk Rock Photography - In Conversation with Alec MacKaye

This coming Thursday, Oct. 6 at 6:30 pm I am excited to announce I will be in conversation with writer and musician Alec MacKaye at the Mt Pleasant Public Library at 3160 16th St., NW, Washington, D.C. The topics of discussion are my work around punk rock photography and our experiences in the DC/punk and hardcore scene. A looping slide show will feature 100 of my images of 70 different bands from the last 12 years.

Alec wrote the intro to my first book Suspect Device that was published in 2014 so we have 8 years of catching up to do!

Below are all the bands that will be featured and a large portion of these images have never been published before.

The event is free. Starts at 6:30 and goes for 1 hour, so please arrive early. Afterwards we can all go to a neighborhood bar in Mt. Pleasant for some food and drink. Details to be posted on the Facebook Event page..

This event is brought to you by the DC Public Library and the DC Punk Archive

Bands (in alphabetical order)

.nobody

Aertex

Airmen of Note

Apocalypse Dudes

BBQT

Black on Black Crime

Bless

Bloodshot Bill

Bust Off

Catharsis

Chain And The Gang

coke bust

Copstabber

CumGirl8

Daddy Long Legs

Daikaiju

Damages

Death Valley Girls

Electric Grandmother

Ethan Spalding and the 422 Band

Gasmask Terror

Gogol Bordelloo

Government Issue

GWAR

HIRS

Homosuperior

I Against Eye

Iron Chic

Korean Gut

Lecherous Gaze

Los Gatos Negros

Loud Boyz

Marginal Man

MellowHype

Misled Youth

Modest Proposal

Neo-Cons

Nervous Impulse

No Man

Priests

PsyOp

Ritchie Ramone

The Scotch Bonnets

Scream

Shark Week

Shawnis and the Shimmers

SHEER MAG

Sissy Spacek

Speedy Ortiz

The Steady 45s

Stout

Striking Distance

Suzi Moon

Teen Cobra

The Crocodiles

The Kickback

The Make*Up

The Nuclears

The Screws

Thelma and the Sleaze

Tim Capello

Total Maniac

Tragedy

Trash Talk

Trunk

Vorlust

War On Women

Wild Anacostias

Zealot R.I.P.

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Visions of the Future NFT with Saatchi Art

I’m thrilled to announce that I’m part of Visions of the Future, a jury-curated NFT photography auction and exhibition by Saatchi Art NFTs. It opens September 22 online and in person at The Other Art Fair in Los Angeles, Ca. The concept is to offer a one-of-a-kind—physical and digital—art experience. Each auction winner will receive a framed limited-edition print in addition to ownership of the photography NFT. Two other editions of the print may be redeemed through January 2023 by any subsequent holders of tokens bought on the secondary market. From over 700 submissions, Saatchi Art's panel of expert jurors selected new works by 50+ fine art photographers from over 20 countries worldwide. Reimaging a future beyond traditional artistic boundaries, the collection of art explores what the future could look like through both utopian and dystopian lenses. My work/NFT entitled Espadín is a photograph taken in an agave field in Oaxaca, Mexico. It considers the role of climate change, climate change anxiety, our place on Earth, and our responsibilities to our planet in crisis. While there are at least 30 different types of agaves that can make mezcal, the smokey spirit similar in nature to tequila, Espadín is the only variety that can be cultivated reliably for mass production. In the past 20 years, Oaxaca has become well known internationally for its famed liquor and as a result much of the agricultural land has been bought up and converted for mezcal production by foreigners interested in capitalizing on its potential. This photograph is part of a larger series entitled "I'll be Your Mirror" that considers the role of humanity's future in environments that have been impacted by human intervention. Join me on Twitter September 15 at 2pm EST/11 am PST to meet some of the participating artists and learn more about the project.

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Top Ten Music Photos for August 2022

August is typically one of the slower months for shows in the summer, but this one was jam packed with action. For the first week, I was in Minneapolis where I got to see Death Valley Girls play a midwest rock and roll dive called Mortimers. They killed it and the crowd was great.

Later in the month I got to witness the return of NYC’s CumGirl8 at DC9 in Washington, DC. They put on a wild show and their onstage antics at the end of their sets are pretty out of control.

Next up was Damages, a local 3 piece hardcore band from Maryland who tore it up on a Sunday evening at a bar off Rhode Island Ave. in DC called The Public Option. This is a really cool space owned by the same folks that run The Pug and Brookland’s Finest. Hopefully there will be more shows there.

Hell House in Takoma Park hosts legendary metal shows often with crazy side shows from amateur wrestling to fire dancing and even BDSM demonstrations. This was just one of those nights featuring Ixias, grind core from Baltimore, MD, and entertainment from Nymph the Enchantress.

A relatively new DC band PsyOps played The Runaway. They have an awesome raw, hardcore sound and are really good live. They are a must see!

Topping off the end of the month was Suzi Moon at Slash Run. She is an absolutely cool punk rock and roller. This was a last minute show on the way to playing with The Damned in Cincinnati, OH.

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Top Ten Music Photos for July 2022

Just when I thought June couldn't have been topped, July came around the corner and kicked its ass. Top Ten Music Shots for July! Featuring - Ethan Spalding and the 422 Band, Tim Cappello, Loud Zombie, Thelma and the Sleaze, Menstrual Tramps, Los Saicos experience, No Mas, Total Maniac, Electric Grandmother and Aertex.

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Interview with Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios’ website has featured and interview with me and 21 of my photos from 11 years of music photography. This year I was honored to win the award for their Zeitgeist category for their first annual Music Photography Awards. This category tasked photographers with capturing the image that defined music in 2021. The picture that makes you stop. Makes you think. Makes you feel. A visual statement of music the year that will be remembered for generations to come. You can read the interview and view the photos on their website here.

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Mexican Silhouettes featured in Eyeshot Magazine

My Mexican Silhouettes series has been featured in Eyeshot Magazine. Click here to check out the article.

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Top 10 Music Photos for June 2022

I love seeing live music of all kinds and I usually see a handful of bands every month in the DC area. When I travel I also seek out live music. However, I usually only share these photographs with the bands and will only occasionally post some on Instagram.

June was a particularly rocking month for the DC area and it inspired me to start a monthly post - the top 10 music photographs of [insert month here].