It’s been 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, and two local photojournalists are recounting their first-hand experience with the tragedy through a new exhibit, housed at InLiquid‘s Crane Arts Building this summer.
‘Revelations: An Evolution of Introspection‘ is the gallery’s latest showcase at the Kensington venue, set to open Aug. 8 and remain on site until Sept. 27.
The exhibition features the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and West Philly native Clarence Williams and renowned photographer Donald E. Camp. The showcase will also feature work from Philadelphia-based poet and spoken word artist Ursula Rucker, who, in collaboration with Clarence Williams, wrote a series of poems dubbed ‘Drown the Devil‘, recounting, photographically and poetically, the experiences of those who endured Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
Williams personally experienced Katrina while there to photograph his cousin’s wedding. Once the storm hit, the creative spent three days stranded on a rooftop, and once the tragedy subsided, he stuck around the city for another 13 years to assist and document recovery efforts and the issues of racism, poverty, and government neglect that were brought to light by Katrina and the subsequent failure of levees. His photos highlight the sheer chaos of the time for those seeking shelter among the bodies of the deceased who were abandoned.
Camp, on the other hand, uses traces of earth from New Orleans’ 9th Ward, one of the areas hardest hit by flooding, for his non-traditional techniques. He creates earth pigments in the printing of his photographic portraits, much of which will be on display this summer.
Both Camp and Williams share a similar career path, coming of age as Black men in Pennsylvania and entering the workforce as staff photographers for local news outlets in Philadelphia — ‘The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin’, and ‘The Philadelphia Tribune’, respectively. As a release notes, through their photojournalist careers, both look to ensure agency to the Black subjects they capture so that readers can see Black men presented in more nuanced and dignified ways.
‘Revelations: An Evolution of Introspection’ is on-view Aug. 8 to Sept. 27. Gallery hours run Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. The public is also invited to attend a free opening reception on Thursday, Sept. 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. In addition, on Sept. 7 from 11 a.m. to noon, curator Lonnie Graham will lead an artist talk and panel discussion with Donald E. Camp at Unique Photo to provide more insight on the exhibition. For more information, visit inliquid.org
