January 12 – February 26, 2023
Intimacies: Selections from the Always Been Collection celebrates Black selfhood and joy as seen through the lens of found photography. Presenting found photographic artifacts lost from their original families, Intimacies puts forth an often overlooked form of Black visual representation. Offered in the anonymous album pages, snapshots, and photobooth images of the Always Been collection is a unique form of visual agency–freed from the prevalent, dominating white gaze. Situated primarily in the first half of the 20th century, Intimacies shows the collective action of Black families to visually cement their kinship, achievements, and being in a state of constant political persecution and separation.
Parker Thompson is a photographic researcher, collector, and student based between Charleston, South Carolina, and Waltham, Massachusetts. He is the curator behind Always Been, an archival project focused on the humanity, dignity, and joy of Black life as seen through the lens of found photographs. He is currently studying history at Brandeis University.