The first and second time I saw Nona Faustine’s work, it was ‘out of context.’ That idea has stayed with me. Even when every photo is hanging level and perfectly stacked, something feels askew. And I suspect that that might be the artist’s intention. Here she is – in the woods, on the rocks, at the intersection – unexpected and highly visible. Here we are – in this country, in these systems – unaccounted for but impossible to ignore. When i saw “Ar’n’t I A Woman” at the Museum of the City of New York, I felt somber. When I saw it again at ICP, I felt brazen. But then! Then i saw the whole collection, in the order that traces over our journey and I felt jubilee. “Ar’n’t I” is striking. Did Faustine choose it as the coverchild like the single that precedes an album? Had it been left to me, I would’ve chosen the finale: reclamation, gratitude, and space to dream. Gratitude to Faustine for telling our story with as much honesty as there was hope. We’ll wear down this context until it gives, a fit for our hard-worn soles. 🖤🌟

Nona Faustine’s collection of self-portraits, “White Shoes” is on view at the Brooklyn Museum until July 7, 2024.