Akea Brionne
Akea Brionne (b. 1996, New Orleans, LA) is a photographer, writer, curator, and researcher who investigates the implications of historical racial and social structures in relation to the development of contemporary black life and identity within America. Focusing on the ways history influences the contemporary cultural milieu of the American black middle class and the history of urban and suburban planning, she explores current political and social themes related to historical forms of oppression, discrimination, segregation, and black identity. Brown received the Visual Task Force Award from the National Association of Black Journalists.
Her work is featured in the Smithsonian's Ralph Rinzler Collection and Archives and Duke University’s David M. Rubenstein Library. She was the 2018 Documentarian of Color by Duke, and her series, Black Picket Fences, was acquired for their permanent collection. Brown was also named the 2019 Janet & Walter Sondheim Winner. In 2019, Brown co-founded Shades Collective. She received her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and she currently lives in Baltimore, MD.
Watch the full film and conversations of "Mississippi Goddamn," here.
Akea Brionne (b. 1996), “An Ode To (You)'all,” 2022. Series of six. Jacquard tapestries, poly-fil, rhinestones. Dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist. Photograph by Mitro Hood. Courtesy of the Mississippi Museum of Art and Baltimore Museum of Art.
The real reason I started to use the camera in the way that I have is because I wanted my story to be told.
- Akea Brionne
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