After receiving his M.F.A. from Yale University, John Edmonds moved to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, in 2016. He soon noticed that many people in the neighborhood wore du-rags, such as the ones seen on these three men, and began a new series of grand pictures that underscore the symbolic and poetic power of the accessory. Edmonds created this group portrait in his studio using a large-format camera and available light. The work represents a transition from the artist’s earlier Du-Rags series, which consists of singular portraits of individuals donning the eponymous headwear, photographed from behind. Here the pyramidal composition recalls the sacred geometry of Renaissance paintings, while the three du-rags correspond to the red, black, and green of the Pan-African flag. Discover this work and more in the exhibition John Edmonds: A Sidelong Glance on view through September 26, 2021.
John Edmonds (American, born 1989). American Gods, 2017. Archival pigment photograph. Courtesy the artist.