The visual image is important to the narratives we create about ourselves and our environment, and photography is the most fulfilling way for me to explore these concepts, allowing me to create and re-create conceptual situations people can relate to visually, bridging cultural and individual boundaries in an attempt to reach a sense of familiarity.
Jalen Joshua Williams (b. 2000, Charleston, SC) is an image maker whose work investigates Black southern identity, prejudice, and the evolving implications of a Post-Black America. Through portraiture and staged tableaux, Williams confronts and deconstructs harmful societal narratives, offering visual alternatives that invite dialogue.. Earning his MFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Williams’ creative journey is profoundly shaped by both historical and contemporary conversations surrounding race, masculinity, and representations of the self..
His work has been exhibited throughout the American South, including his solo exhibition Where I’m Coming From at the Cecelia Coker Bell Gallery, and he has been a featured artist at Charleston’s Piccolo Spoleto and MOJA festivals. Williams is a recipient of the Bunting Award for Graduate Excellence and the Charleston Magazine Emerging Artist Award. His work has been featured in Der Greif, and in 2024 was selected for an artist residency at The Studios at MASS MoCA.