In the practices of Beverly Price And Gordon Parksphotography operates on a continuum. For them, images are both dynamic and archival, documenting a unique moment that continues to communicate with the viewer long after that time has passed. The language we shareopened this month in the Center for Arts and Advocacyexplores these expansive and evolving interpretations of practice by bringing Price and Parks into direct conversation.
Parks (1912-2006), one of the most acclaimed photographers of his time, anchored himself in American life from the 1940s onwards, creating distinctive images for magazines such as Ebony And Glamour and launching projects rooted in civil rights and social justice. He saw his work not only as a way to capture the reality of what was happening in homes, offices and on the streets, from New York to Washington DC to Chicago, but also as an urgent means of advocacy. “I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all kinds of social evils,” he says said. “I knew at that moment that I had to have a camera.”
When Parks died in 2006, Price had just been released from twenty years of incarceration and wouldn’t pick up a camera again for another decade. But when she did, she entered into a dialogue with the late photographer. Price, who served as a fellow at the center in 2023, also sees her practice as advocating for those who might otherwise go unheard, focusing primarily on prevention and the children most affected by the same issues Parks struggled with.
When Price began capturing images around her Southeast Anacostia neighborhood in Washington, DC, a geographic overlap emerged between the two photographers. In The language we sharewe witness the affinity between Price and Parks in a presentation that explores how these specific social and cultural landscapes have evolved and which people are most affected by their reality.
One common thread is that both photographers often focus on children. In a housing project in Anacostia, Parks captures an adorable group of young dancers and their synchronized movements. Price also experiences a moment of joy and reverie in an image of two soaked boys enjoying an open fire hydrant on a presumably scorching day. In their works, childhood is both sacred and vulnerable, and compound forces such as police brutality, poverty, and discrimination threaten its sacredness.
The far-reaching consequences of the carceral system can also be seen throughout the exhibition. In a 1963 image from Harlem, Parks captures a young boy casually leaning against a temporary barricade, while another photo from that era documents a protest against the police state. There’s also his striking look in a Chicago prison, in which a man puts his hand through the steel bars while his shadow is framed by the cage on the nearby wall.
Price also nods to police with a cropped photo of someone showing off an Air Jordan, an electronic monitor attached just above the sneaker. “For me, photography is a powerful tool for social justice – a means to document truth, challenge perceptions and advocate for change,” says Price in her artist statement. “I hope that through my work, viewers will gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of the Black experience and join the collective effort to create a more just and equitable world.”
The language we share runs from March 20 to June 19 in Brooklyn.
