Artist and curator Zachary Francois speaks with photographers from “Something's Missing,” an exhibition and photobook curated to reframe the expectations of Black artists today.

When I first conceived “Something’s Missing,” my immediate response was that I needed to approach the exhibition as tastefully and respectfully as humanly possible. It wasn’t just a show of Black photographers’ lovely and intense work, it was also a moment to break the mold of what it means to be a Black artist today, and to have one’s work cared for by a curator who shares the same canon. We are often lumped together in our practices simply by our shared identity, our individuality removed. “Something’s Missing” became the vessel to replace the myth of universal cultural experience with something more nuanced.

I want people to critically engage with these artists without preconceived ideas of what a Black artist is and should look like. I see these ideas as a function of white supremacy and hold no power to constructively engage with Black artists. I hope galleries and institutions take note of how critical it is that curators of color lead, look over, and facilitate shows that come from shared cultural identities because it causes the artists to be heard and seen sincerely.

Zachary Francois in conversation with Juanese Davis, Benjamin Willis, and Kelli Mckinney
(editors’ note: the conversation was conducted after the exhibition at The Bakery Atlanta closed, but you can purchase a catalog by DM’ing Zachary Francois thru Instagram.