What Matters Most: Photographs of Black Life
Thoughtfully illustrated, this volume highlights a selection of photographs of African American family life between the 1970s and the early 2000s—pictures that were lost by their original owners and then found by the artist Zun Lee on a street in Detroit in 2012, marking the beginning of the Fade Resistance collection of more than 4,000 Polaroids. Lee describes the collection as an important record of Black visual self-representation and a means to “reflect the way Black people saw themselves on their terms—without the intention of being seen, or judged, by others.” To Lee, these powerful photographs are an expression of “Black life mattering.”
These vivid images chronicle milestones such as weddings, birthdays and graduations, as well as quiet daily moments, offering contemporary views long ignored or erased by mainstream culture. Together, these works highlight the role snapshots have played in Black life, as tools to challenge stereotypical portrayals and as a means to memorialize family, culture and heritage.
The design starts on the cover, the images stored in a random way similar to when they’re found in a shoebox; becoming more organized for the viewer while flipping through the book. The publication, proportionally sized like a polaroid, houses essays, poetry, and moments of contemplation.
These vivid images chronicle milestones such as weddings, birthdays and graduations, as well as quiet daily moments, offering contemporary views long ignored or erased by mainstream culture. Together, these works highlight the role snapshots have played in Black life, as tools to challenge stereotypical portrayals and as a means to memorialize family, culture and heritage.
The design starts on the cover, the images stored in a random way similar to when they’re found in a shoebox; becoming more organized for the viewer while flipping through the book. The publication, proportionally sized like a polaroid, houses essays, poetry, and moments of contemplation.
2022
COLLABORATORS
Art Gallery of Ontario
AWARDS
AIGA 50 Books | 50 Covers of 2022 Winner for both categories
Art Gallery of Ontario
AWARDS
AIGA 50 Books | 50 Covers of 2022 Winner for both categories
