Shikeith

Studio Visit with The New York Time’s @tmagazine with writer Rose Courteau , photographed by D’Angelo Lovell Williams!! Today marks so many exciting moments the launch of @projectbluespace my first public humanities initiative supported by @mellonfoundation + the display of my first public art commission "Hold" 2026 for Arts Landing from @culturaltrust here in Pittsburgh, PA. Thank you for the support!! 😭🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

This marks such a huge milestone for me, and I’m incredibly thankful to The Mellon Foundation and the Humanities In Place division for seeing the value in this work and choosing to support the mission of preserving and sustaining these histories. I felt a deep pull toward water (blue space) during one of the hardest points in this journey, and it’s still guiding me forward, upstream. Project Blue Space is my way of bringing the studio into the world, of meeting the public where they are and creating real, meaningful connections. I know there are a lot of young artists watching me, so I want to say this: sometimes, no matter how hard you go, you can still be overlooked for things beyond your control. But here’s the thing, you control your destiny, and there are people out there who will see you. For every person who told me no, three more said yes. So don’t wait. Create your work. Go find your people, even if they’re not in New York or LA. Take your own route. You can and will rise in ways you can’t even imagine. I’m proof of that, because I truly got it out the mud. And because of that, nobody can ever put limits on what I’m capable of. Period! 🌊🌊

WHAT'S TEA?! * SCREAMS* A DREAM COME TRUE! • Our fall Men’s Fashion issue cover shoot was the brainchild of the polymathic artist and frequent T contributor @shikeith , who was inspired to pay homage to the filmmaker Marlon Riggs’s groundbreaking 1989 documentary, “Tongues Untied,” a celebration of Blackness, maleness, gayness, and the community and affinity that exist among and between Black gay men. More than three decades later, Riggs’s everyday portrayal of queer Black lives feels just as potent, particularly for a generation of young, multidisciplinary creatives who view the director and his crew as ancestors. Read the conversation that took place after the shoot, moderated by @emilwilbekin , at the link in our bio. Photos by @shikeith , styled by Ian Bradley (@iancogneato ). Pictured on the covers: the poet Danez Smith (@danez_smif ); the painter Adam Pendleton (@pendleton.adam ); the fashion designer @edvinthompson ; the visual artist @jonathanlyndonchase ; the writer and actor @jeremyoharris ; the actor @atoblanksonwood ; and the visual artist and filmmaker @shikeith • A huge thank you to everyone involved in making this shoot possible. This editorial was a significant undertaking, and everyone did a fantastic job! • Producer David R. Lipford @david_r.l._ Set Design @jessekaufmann MUA Jamal @iamjamalscott Hair Jadis @jadisjolie • Agent @stevenchaiken 1st Photo Assistant @donnamaev 2nd Photo Assistant @kahdeemprosper Lighting Tech @roybeeson Digital Tech Scott Mitchell • Director of Photography @jomofray Video Editor @jordantaylorfuller 1st AC (Camera) Alice Boucherie Gafer Elo Santa Maria DIT Beth Fletcher Sound Pablo Diez • New York Times T Magazine Editors Hanya Yanagihara Nadia Vellam Patrick Li David Farber Nick Haramis Kurt Soller

I’ve joined the Board of Directors at Silver Eye Center for Photography. @silvereyecenter Founded in 1985 in Pittsburgh, Silver Eye is dedicated to contemporary photography through exhibitions, education, and programs that support emerging, mid-career, and under-recognized artists. This is deeply personal. I picked up a camera at 15 and never put it down. So many people and institutions have poured into my growth. I’m honored to now help champion the artists Silver Eye nurtures.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 💙 Photo by Michael Parente

Opening Party for the 59th Carnegie International @carnegiemuseumofart 💙 Congratulations to all the participating artists. Welcome to Pittsburgh!🫶🏾🫶🏾

I am so proud to share that I’ve been awarded the inaugural VMFA Aaron Siskind Award for Photography 2025!! @vmfamuseum 🙏🏾 This means so much to me as an artist who has pushed myself every step of the way, taking chances even when it meant wrestling with doubt or failing quietly or publicly. The body of work I applied with was new, but it reflects what happens when I trust my instincts and follow my curiosities with a medium I believe in, no matter what anyone else might expect. My relationship to photography is fiercer than ever, and I’m excited for everything this award allows me to explore. It’s incredible to see how something that began in my grandmother’s living room, digging through her crates of Essence, Ebony, and Jet, has grown into this moment. Thank you to the judges, and thank you to @vmfamuseum 🌊🙏🏾

People Who Die Bad Don’t Stay in the Ground (2025) Two-channel video installation (black-and-white and blue monochrome), sound; 5:50 loop Filmed on James Island, Charleston, South Carolina Thank you to everyone who brought this work to life. On view at @tiltinstitute until November 22nd. Talent @mossisaadi @tyquanmorton @ideakjsmalls @dreamlandprox @qstuckey1 Ernest Director of Photography @maroon_man Assistants @fakewoke @thatguysteven115 Costume Design @majorthewiz Produced by Cedar Wolf Productions @heyshaquille

We’re delighted to share that Shikeith’s (@shikeith ) photograph “Visiting Hours” (2022) has been acquired by the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. (@phillipscollection ) 🖤 “Visiting Hours” takes its title from a 1985 poem by Essex Hemphill, and channels the poem’s themes of haunting, grief, and tenderness. The work was shot on expired film and depicts an embrace between two figures, one physical, one spectral—making a resurrection in multiple forms. “Visiting Hours” was recently on view at the Phillips Collection this summer in Essex Hemphill: Take care of your blessings, a group exhibition surveying the impact of Hemphill’s work on the practices of contemporary artists in the present day. Pictured: Visiting Hours, 2022, Archival Inkjet Print on Photo Rag Baryta Paper, 49” x 60” (124.5 x 152.5 cm), Framed: 49 15/16’ x 60 7/8” (127 x 154.5 cm)

Happy to share some installation views of my debut solo-exhibition in my hometown Philly at @tiltinstitute on view until November 22nd! This work actually started in 2019, developing alongside my previous body of photography. It took me across the country from Florida and Pittsburgh to South Carolina, New Orleans, and Brooklyn. Thank you to all the gentlemen in these images and all those who supported the creation of these images along the way! I’m still traveling to continue making this work and look forward to more exhibition opportunities to share with you all in the near future 🙏🏾🫶🏾🌊💙

O’ my body, make of me always a man who questions!, 2025 Bronze, 35 3/4” x 28 3/4” x 18 1/2” (91 x 73 x 47 cm), Shikeith This new sculpture apart of my bronze series will be on view at the upcoming @154artfair in New York City with @yossimilo , May 8–11, 2025. For inquiries, please contact [email protected].

Blue Shadow (2024) Bronze & Glass | 30” x 11 3/4” x 7 3/8” (76 x 30 x 18.5 cm) | Shikeith 📍 On View: @yossimilo at @untitledartfairs 🗓 December 3–8, 2024 | Booth A51

Shikeith “Ceremonies,” 2024 Bronze 32 x 11¾ x 9¾ inches (81 x 30 x 25 cm) 🏺 I’m thrilled to share another piece from my new series of bronze sculptures! This is one of three new works that will be showcased with @yossimilo at @untitledartfairs Miami Beach 2024, Booth A51, from December 3–8, 2024. If you’re heading to Miami Art Week, please stop by or reach out to the gallery for more information. 🌊