Keisha Scarville - Episode 89

7 snips

Dec 30, 2024

Keisha Scarville, a Brooklyn-based photographer and professor, dives into her artistic journey, exploring themes of loss and identity. She discusses her thought-provoking book, weaving together archival imagery with personal narratives. Instead of viewing her work as discrete projects, Keisha embraces a holistic approach to storytelling. The conversation highlights the importance of shadows in photography and the healing power of art, making a profound connection between creativity and personal experiences.

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ANECDOTE

Early Photography Influence

Keisha Scarville was introduced to photography by her father who documented family trips to Guyana.
In high school, a passionate photography teacher inspired her to embrace photography beyond just documentation.

ANECDOTE

Creating the Book’s Archive

Keisha's book includes many images created specifically for the book alongside archival materials.
She was inspired by writer Lola Olufemi and mined archives to explore time and memory in photography.

INSIGHT

Rejecting Traditional Project Boundaries

Keisha resists compartmentalizing projects because her work flows conceptually rather than chronologically.
She views her images as interconnected parts of a continuous thought process, not discrete bodies of work.

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In this episode of PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf, Sasha closes out the year with photographer Keisha Scarville. Keisha and Sasha talk about her book, lick of tongue rub of finger on soft wound (MACK), and Keisha's personal and unique use of archival imagery. Keisha and Sasha also discuss the ways in which Keisha has moved away from thinking of projects as discreet bodies of work, choosing instead, a much more holistic approach.

https://keishascarville.com/home.html ||| https://www.mackbooks.us/products/lick-of-tongue-rub-of-finger-on-soft-wound-br-keisha-scarville

Keisha Scarville (b. Brooklyn, NY; lives Brooklyn, NY) weaves together themes dealing with loss, latencies and the elusive body. Her work has been widely exhibited, including the Studio Museum of Harlem, Huxley-Parlour in London, ICA Philadelphia, Contact Gallery in Toronto, The Caribbean Cultural Center, Lightwork, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, and Higher Pictures. Recent group exhibitions include The Rose at the lumber room, Portland, Oregon (curated by Justine Kurland); If I Had a Hammer - Fotofest Biennial, Houston (2022); and All of Them Witches, Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles (2020, curated by Dan Nadel and Laurie Simmons). Her work is held in the collections of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Yale University Art Gallery, the George Eastman House, Denver Museum of Art, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. She has participated in residencies at Lightwork, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, WOPHA, Baxter Street CCNY, and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. In addition, her work has appeared in publications including Vice, Small Axe, and The New York Times where her work has also received critical review. She is a recipient of the 2023 Creator Lab Photo Fund and awarded the inaugural Saltzman Prize in Photography earlier this year. She is currently a Visiting Professor in the Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies at Harvard University and a faculty member at Parsons School of Design in New York. Her first book, lick of tongue rub of finger on soft wound, was published by MACK and shortlisted in the 2023 Aperture/Paris Photobook Awards.

This podcast is sponsored by picturehouse + thesmalldarkroom. https://phtsdr.com