The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) invites visitors to experience a captivating collection of photographs that explore African diasporic culture. Titled “As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic,” this exhibition, organized by Aperture and curated by Elliott Ramsey, draws from Dr. Kenneth Montague’s Wedge Collection, a Black-owned photography collection based in Toronto. It offers a profound perspective on the diverse experiences of Black life, examining themes of community, identity, and power. Making its U.S. debut at PEM, the exhibition showcases over 100 works by Black artists from Canada, the Caribbean, Great Britain, the United States, South America, and various regions across the African continent.
In “As We Rise,” Black photographers capture Black subjects, presenting them as they choose to be seen, acknowledging the multifaceted strength, beauty, and vulnerability of Black life. Stephanie Tung, PEM’s Byrne Family Curator of Photography, emphasizes that this powerful collection brings together iconic photographs, rare images, and new works spanning continents and decades. The exhibition focuses on the familial and familiar, celebrating unique expressions of individuality and the spirit of community.
“At PEM, ‘As We Rise’ is structured like a song, with intersecting and merging themes and variations that create rhythms and cadences,” says organizing curator Elliott Ramsey. The exhibition harmonizes the voices of writers, critics, and community members with the collector, exploring the relationship between photography and ideas of recognition and belonging. From the Harlem Renaissance of the 1930s to post-colonial Bamako and contemporary Toronto, “As We Rise” celebrates the polyphony of Black life, showcasing the nuanced approaches of Black photographers in portraying scenes of love, leisure, and resistance.
The exhibition features artists from the global diaspora, including Vanley Burke, whose work focuses on London’s Jamaican community and explores the legacy of colonialism. Lebohang Kganye examines her relationship with her mother through superimposed images from her family album. Artists like Texas Isaiah, Liz Johnson Artur, Seydou Keïta, Deana Lawson, Jamel Shabazz, and Carrie Mae Weems explore themes of agency, beauty, joy, and belonging. Writings by Isolde Brielmaier, Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi, Mark Sealy, Teka Selman, Deborah Willis, and others provide valuable insights and commentary on the significance of this collection.

Accompanying the exhibition is the publication “As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic” (Aperture, 2021). This 184-page book presents an exciting compilation of 142 photographs from African diasporic culture. It provides a timely exploration of Black identity on both sides of the Atlantic, featuring works by Black artists. The book includes a preface by Teju Cole, a renowned photographer, novelist, essayist, and curator. Dr. Mark Sealy, director of Autograph ABP (Association of Black Photographers), UK, and Liz Ikiriko, a Nigerian Canadian artist and curator, are among the other contributors, adding valuable perspectives to this important collection.

Exhibited Artists: Raphael Albert, Henry Clay Anderson, Tayo Yannick Anton, Liz Johnson Artur, James Barnor, Dawoud Bey, Arielle Bobb-Willis, Deanna Bowen, Jody Brand, Kwame Brathwaite, Sandra Brewster, Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Vanley Burke, Mohamed Camara, Kennedi Carter, Jorian Charlton, June Clark, Michèle Pearson Clarke, Renee Cox, Erika DeFreitas, Jabulani Dhlamini, Stan Douglas, Louis Draper, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Samuel Fosso, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Courtney D. Garvin, Jérôme Havre, Barkley L. Hendricks, Leslie Hewitt, Ayana V. Jackson, Rashid Johnson, Aaron Jones, Anique Jordan, Seydou Keïta, Lebohang Kganye, Luther Konadu, Deana Lawson, Zun Lee, Oumar Ly, João Mendes, Jalani Morgan, Dennis Morris, Aïda Muluneh, Eustáquio Neves, Jamal Nxedlana, Lakin Ogunbanwo, J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere, Bidemi Oloyede, Horace Ové, Gordon Parks, Dawit L. Petros, Charlie Phillips, Afonso Pimenta, Ruddy Roye, Athi-Patra Ruga, Abdourahmane Sakaly, Jamel Shabazz, Abdo Shanan, Malick Sidibé, Xaviera Simmons, Ming Smith, Paul Anthony Smith, Sanlé Sory, Eve Tagny, Texas Isaiah, Hank Willis Thomas, Mickalene Thomas, James Van Der Zee, Nontsikelelo Veleko, Ruby Washington, Ricky Weaver, Carrie Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley.

As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic
June 17 – December 31, 2023
Peabody Essex Museum (PEM), Salem, MA