Us in the Frame is a powerful, timely exhibition that surveys the lived experiences and practices of Black queer photographers in the Netherlands. Curated by artist and activist Ajamu X and guest curator J.G. Basdew, it is part of Queer & Pride Amsterdam, amplifying voices all too often side-lined within the photography canon. The show features 14 portraits created by Ajamu X. He spoke with each individual personally, discussing how archiving features in their work, what it means to them, as well as how they claim their own visibility and safeguard their outputs. Alongside their personal and diverse approaches to preservation, the experience of being and working as a Black queer photographer in the Netherlands takes centre stage.
Ajamu X, a seminal figure in Black queer visual culture since the 1990s, has long interrogated visibility, intimacy and history. The portraits unfold as quiet, defiant acts of presence – affirmations that are political and deeply personal. How can stories be preserved when they are deliberately excluded? What happens to one’s body, community and narrative if left undocumented? These questions reverberate throughout the exhibition. The work connects with landmark artists such as Zanele Muholi, whose Faces and Phases documents Black LGBTQIA+ communities in South Africa, and Rotimi Fani-Kayode, whose sensual, mythic portraits challenged western representations of Black queer bodies. Ajamu X’s approach is similarly intimate, celebratory and rooted in a sense of care.
The conversations documented here reveal photography as more than image-making – it becomes strategy, refuge and radical love. Each sitter contributes to a collective memory, creating space for future Black queer generations to see themselves reflected. Projects like Us in the Frame are essential. Here, Foam powerfully asserts the urgency of preserving stories that shape who we are, now and into the future.
Ajamu X: Us in the Frame is at Foam, Amsterdam until 10 September: foam.org
Words: Anna Müller
Image Credits:
1&4. Tengbeh Kamara © Ajamu X.
2. Jean Paul Paula © Ajamu X.
3. Bete van Meeuwen © Ajamu X.
5. Felix de Rooy © Ajamu X.
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