About
Expanding photography through Black ways of seeing
theBLKGZE is an independent publication dedicated to advancing the understanding of photography through Black photographers, Black archives, Black visual culture and Black ways of seeing.
We believe photography is more than a visual medium. It is a way of knowing. Every photograph reflects choices about attention, memory, experience and meaning, shaping not only what we see but how we understand the world.
Our purpose is to deepen photographic knowledge through rigorous research, thoughtful criticism and original writing. We explore how Black photographers have expanded the medium, not simply by documenting Black life, but by introducing ways of seeing that enrich photography itself.
What we publish
Our work brings together research, criticism and visual history to explore photography from new perspectives. Across the site you'll find:
- Evidence-based research into photographers, archives and photographic ideas.
- Essays that explore the history, philosophy and future of photography.
- Critical studies of individual photographers and bodies of work.
- Writing on books, exhibitions and archives.
- Reflections on the Black gaze as a contribution to photographic knowledge.
Whether examining a celebrated photographer or an overlooked archive, every article asks the same question:
What does this reveal about photography itself?
Our approach
Every article published by theBLKGZE is grounded in careful research.
We distinguish evidence from interpretation, prioritise primary sources wherever possible, and seek to understand photographs before drawing conclusions about them. Our aim is not simply to celebrate Black photographers or document their achievements, but to understand how their work expands photography's understanding of memory, family, place, community, spirituality, imagination and everyday life.
Photography grows through new ideas as much as new technologies. We believe research should contribute to those ideas.
Why theBLKGZE exists
The history of photography is far richer than the stories most often told about it. Important photographers, archives and visual traditions have shaped the medium in ways that deserve deeper study, broader recognition and more thoughtful discussion.
theBLKGZE exists to contribute to that work.
Our focus is not only on recovering overlooked histories, but on asking larger questions about photography itself. What can Black ways of seeing teach us about the medium? How do photographs produce knowledge? What becomes visible through relationships, memory and lived experience that might otherwise remain unseen?
These are the questions that guide everything we publish.
Read our philosophy
Our work is guided by The Black Gaze, a manifesto and set of principles that define the philosophical foundation of theBLKGZE.
If you're new to theBLKGZE, we recommend beginning there.
Because before we ask what photography shows us, we believe it is worth asking how photography comes to know what it sees.