His powerful portraits aim to make his sitters seen and empowered

Stephanie Sporn

Artist Texas Isaiah on finding community and mutual healing through photography

In the darkest of times, <a href="https://www.texasisaiah.com/">Texas Isaiah</a> has found the light. ‘Major life moments often allow us to re-question our relationship to everything,’ the award-winning artist, best known for his emotive portraiture of Black and LGBTQIA+ individuals, tells Art Basel. In 2013, after the death of a loved one, hardship brought ‘much more depth’ to the Brooklyn-born, Los Angeles-based artist’s practice. Personal and collective loss has again influenced his latest body of work. A new series of photographs, titled ‘It’s the Starkness of the Day’, ‘illuminates the private, quiet moments we experience as we navigate grief in our personal spaces,’ says Texas Isaiah. 
The series will be exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach this December, as part of <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/35119/Residency-Art-Gallery">Residency Art Gallery</a>'s presentation in the show's Positions sector. Made after the artist lost his grandmother and aunt within two weeks of each other this August, the images center two sitters at home rather than being a literal self-portrait. The works also reflect how Texas Isaiah – a Black, trans, first-generation autodidact, and self-proclaimed visual narrator – grappled with the increased violence on LGBTQIA+ individuals in America, especially in the Black community. ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve created something for myself, and it reminds me that grief should be honored, and we should be allowed the space to move through difficulty so we can be hopeful to witness the light on the other end.’

Speaking to Texas Isaiah, it is impossible not to be moved by his profound sensitivity, generosity, and phoenix-like optimism: For as much devastation as he has witnessed, he remains curious and open to being inspired by everything, from special human interactions to fleeting moments in nature. Through photography, he has found resilience. ‘I started to engage with photography because I needed a way to express myself. I needed a way to heal and form connections with other people,’ he says. The tribulations of 2013 – a time when conversations about Black trans people were just emerging in mass media – prompted Texas Isaiah to do a deep research dive into the work of legendary Black photographers, including Ming Smith, <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/12351/Roy-DeCarava" target="_blank">Roy DeCarava</a>, <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/21492/Gordon-Parks" target="_blank">Gordon Parks</a>, and <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6949/Carrie-Mae-Weems" target="_blank">Carrie Mae Weems</a>. Isaiah additionally read books that challenged the historically <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/black-images-matter-how-cameras-helped-mdash-and-sometimes-harmed-mdash-black-people/">troublesome</a>, at times violent, dynamics of photography, in which Black people were stereotyped, caricatured, and othered.
‘[The research] allowed me to think more deeply about not how I can correct the misdoings of how people have treated marginalized individuals within any kind of art practice, but rather how I can create a soft landing for the sitters that I work with,’ says Texas Isaiah. ‘I had to have empathy and compassion, especially if you’re inviting people who may not think that they’re beautiful or worthy enough to be imaged because of [mainstream] beauty standards. It’s so important to the overall archive of communities and our own personal archives.’

Striving to dissolve the traditional hierarchy between the photographer and sitter, Texas Isaiah cultivates a comfortable environment where sitters can style themselves as they please, and thought-provoking discussion is encouraged. ‘I’ve been able to form a community with people because it’s not just about creating images and never seeing each other again. We discuss life, how we see ourselves, our relationship to visibility and social media – all of these things inform the image,’ he says. ‘These conversations have helped create a healing space for me because you’re healing with someone else.’
Some of Texas Isaiah’s closest friendships formed thanks to a photo session. ‘I’ve been able to witness friends step into their own spaces and grow not only in front of the camera but also within their respective practices,’ he says, adding that many of these images have not been made public but rather cherished in a more intimate way. ‘The evolving relationship that people have with their own images is very special to me.’

Since 2020, the artist has also become a highly in-demand photographer for editorial and commercial commissions – clients range from Apple and Google to Calvin Klein and Dior. ‘I always ask myself, “is this project aligned with my values? Is this going to challenge me?”’ One of his most inspiring editorial projects came in 2022 for the climate and culture publication Atmos. The stars of his shoot were queer youth climate activists in Florida fighting against discriminatory legislation, such as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which prohibits public school teachers from instructing on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Other memorable editorial shoots include photographing author, director, and transgender rights activist, Janet Mock for British Vogue in 2020. ‘I’ve always been a fan of her, and I was able to image her in my own way,’ says Texas Isaiah, who got to shoot in black and white, his ‘first love.’ When the artist moved to Los Angeles in 2017, he was inspired to venture into color. Another standout shoot was photographing power couple Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade for the TIME 100 2020 issue. ‘I had 15 minutes to photograph them, and they both were so lovely and easy going, it felt like a regular portrait session.’

Other personal highlights include photographing fellow LA-based artist Nikita Gale for W and Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi for music platform ColorsxStudios. Both were photographed at the Exposition Park Rose Garden, one of his favorite places to shoot in Los Angeles. ‘I love imaging in nature because it simultaneously upholds and breaks down binaries. Like human beings, nature is so simple, yet equally complex,’ says Texas Isaiah, who never having had a traditional studio space, considers the outdoors his studio. Domestic settings and the bond people have with them, however, also greatly interest him.
Texas Isaiah is eager to explore his relationship with new materials and expand his practice into sculpture and moving images. Last year, he presented his first video work, which featured his partner, Detroit-based Nigerian interdisciplinary artist KESSWA, for Google’s Creator Labs, a platform that invites artists to produce projects using Google Pixel phones.
As for long-term career goals, the photographer thinks more in terms of how he can lead his best, most fulfilling life. ‘I want to forge new pathways for myself and others, nurtured, above all, by human connection. I’ve learned a lot from everyone that I’ve imaged and will continue to learn from everyone that I will image in the future.’
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Texas Isaiah is represented by <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/35119/Residency-Art-Gallery" target="_blank">Residency Art Gallery</a> (Los Angeles). His work will be on view in the <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/miami-beach/exhibitors#138288">Positions sector</a> of Art Basel Miami Beach 2023. 
Stephanie Sporn is a New York-based author, specialized in the intersection between art and fashion. 
Published on November 16, 2023. 
Caption for full-bleed images, from top to bottom: Photographs by Texas Isaiah. Courtesy of the artist and Residency Art Gallery. 1. Charlotte & Kaleb for Atmos, 2022. 2. Atmos, 2022. 3. KESSWA, 2023.

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