The Black gaze is not monolithic and I interpret it as two things; firstly, it describes communicating the wealth of variety and lived experiences across the global African diaspora; secondly, it expresses the beauty of life, history and the world through the diverse perspectives within the diaspora.

The Black Gaze is about my point of view and narrative stopping traffic – it’s about Blacks recognising that we may be different shades of Black and Brown and yet, as a community feeling connected to each other as brothers and sisters.

The Black gaze to me is about unapologetically showing the world through your eyes. Whether it be capturing people, food or landscapes. It is an opportunity to tell your story, without narrowing its explanation in order to communicate its message to a particular audience.

The Black gaze to me is about unapologetically showing the world through your eyes. Whether it be capturing people, food or landscapes. It is an opportunity to tell your story, without narrowing its explanation in order to communicate its message to a particular audience.

The Black gaze is a reminder that even though there isn’t so much recognition of Black photographers out there, there’s still appreciation of work done Black photographers.

To me, the Black gaze is about redefining the stereotype often associated with a Black face. It is important to share my view despite adversity, as from those challenges comes opportunity and perspective.

The Black gaze to me simply means being different. Everyday I see photographers and I go, “What goes on in the head of these guys?” I want that for me someday, I want people to wonder and crave how I think.

The Black Gaze means seeing and feeling the very experience through the lens/eyes of the Black diaspora.

The Black gaze means to me being able to see myself and others who look like me fully. Unfiltered. Raw. Real. Beautiful. It matters because it helps me show up in the world fully and unapologetically as my Black self.

To me, the Black gaze is to see Black culture through the eyes of black photographers. It matters as we often see the “White gaze” a lot in regards to Black culture and but when through a Black gaze, we can see the things missed, we can see more Blackness.

To my understanding the Black gaze simply narrows down focus on Black artistes. I think it matters because it brings to light a different perspective of story telling from Black people, by Black people in a way that inspires and motivates Black excellence.

For me, it is a whole different world for Black creatives, reflecting the importance of art, how it represents our view of the world be it human behaviour, nature, etc, and the way it affects our lives as well.

The Black gaze to me is the unique exploration of Black identities and stories of Black families through the lens of Black artists. It’s having our lives observed, documented and disseminated by one of us, for all of us. It matters because without it certain aspects of our history will be lost forever.

The Black gaze is something that comes attached to a Black person when their experience has been exploited for the benefit other than Black people.

To me it means seeing the world through the eyes and experience of Black men and women. It matters because Black men and women experiences have always been dismissed and disrespected in society and it needs to change.