A current exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Art (CMOA) features the work of Brooklyn-based Deana Lawson (b. 1979). Lawson’s images address critical issues surrounding representations of African Americans and the African diaspora.

“Few photographers working today unpack complexities of race and identity like Deana Lawson,” states the press release for Deana Lawson. From her neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, to Soweto, South Africa, and beyond, Lawson photographs the people and interiors she runs across as she goes about her day. And, as the press release explains, “she also appropriates photographs from other sources to address depictions of African Americans in media and visual culture.” The exhibition includes 10 life-size photographs, allowing close examination of details like carpeting, clothing, furniture, hair, and jewelry that “impact our perceptions—and perhaps biases—about people and their stories.”

Deana Lawson also features photographic installations made from a variety of sources including mass media and photo libraries. The installations, which are site-specific to CMOA and assembled by Lawson, look at the role contemporary visual culture plays in shaping perceptions and stereotypes of people and communities.

Deana Lawson
March 15–July 15, 2018
Forum Gallery
Carnegie Museum of Art

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