Screenings

Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People

woman and dove

Thomas Allen Harris, Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People (film still), 2014. 90 min, digital, colour, sound.

Members
$10.00
Public
$12.00
Students
$8.00

Tickets are not currently available.

Screenings

Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People

Wednesday May 10, 2017 and Thursday May 11, 2017
Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario
Watch the Trailer
Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People
Trailer for the Sundance Film Festival

Directed by Thomas Allen Harris
2014, 1h, 30 min.
The first documentary to explore the role of photography in shaping the identity, aspirations, and social emergence of African Americans from slavery to the present, Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People probes the recesses of American history through images that have been suppressed, forgotten, and lost.

Bringing to light the hidden and unknown photos shot by both professional and vernacular African American photographers, the film opens a window into the lives of black families, whose experiences and perspectives are often missing from the traditional historical canon. African Americans historically embraced the medium as a way to subvert popular stereotypes as far back as the Civil War era, with Frederick Douglass photographed in a suit and black soldiers posing proudly in their uniforms. These images show a much more complex and nuanced view of American culture and its founding ideals.

Inspired by the book Reflections in Black by photo historian Deborah Willis, the film features the works of esteemed photographic artists Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson, Anthony Barboza, Hank Willis Thomas, Coco Fusco, Clarissa Sligh, James Van Der Zee, Gordon Parks, and many others.

Mr. Harris’s film is a family memoir, a tribute to unsung artists and a lyrical, at times heartbroken, meditation on imagery and identity.” – A.O. Scott, New York Times

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Free Black North.

For requests for Verbal Description, American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and/or live captioning for online and onsite programming, please provide three weeks notice in advance of the event date. The AGO will make every effort to provide accommodation for requests made with less than three weeks notice. Please note that automated captioning is available for all online programs. For onsite visits, the AGO offers these supports for an accessible visit. Please contact us to make a request for these or other accessibility accommodations. Learn more about accessibility at the AGO.

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