Where I matter most

This project originally began as a series of portraits in response to the 2020 global calls for fair and equal treatment of Black people and our communities. As time has passed, however, and with those protests now inevitably in the distance, I have since chosen to focus instead on the moments in between, and on the passion projects that give us life when life and the world ask for more. The importance of protecting one’s mental health and general struggles against racism and discrimination have always been inseparable for me. With this latest round of protests coming in the midst of the already emotionally demanding COVID-19 pandemic, self-care practices have come to feel more pertinent than ever. Through this past year, it has been quite illuminating to witness just how broadly and uniquely Black people from all walks of life – many of them ‘in the streets’ both literally and virtually a year ago – have embraced (or expanded upon) these activities in their personal lives. This collection combining portraits, short videos and recorded thoughts aims to explore examples of the activities, work, or passion projects that give us strength in the quiet moments when the streets have cleared. Each participant is offered space to talk a bit about their practice and to explain its significance in their life. The recorded audio statements will be accompanied by documentary video and still images of their practice, along with other related visuals.

*Photograph of Samson by Kevin Jones.

October 14, 2021 at 1:00 PM
October 16, 2021 at 1:00 PM

About the artist

Kevin Stanley Omar Jones is a Jamaican-Canadian photographer and artist currently based in Tkaronto. Through his 15-year career as a photographer, his evolving body of work has largely flowed along three separate overarching themes: displaying representations of Blackness, capturing the quiet expressions of daily life, and documenting the creative process and performance of music and dance. The unifying focus through these thematic streams has been a desire to construct images of stillness and respite within life’s fleeting moments of intimate human exchange and emotion.