Rejeana V. Black

Courtesy of Jose Angel Castro

Rejeana V. Black is a Long Beach based artist and independent curator working in photography and video. She is a recent graduate from California State University, Long Beach with a BFA in Photography and a certificate in American Indian and Indigenous Studies. As a Getty Marrow Undergraduate Intern alumni of 2021, Rejeana has been an independent curator for the past two years and has exhibited two art exhibitions in Long Beach, CA. Rejeana is also a 2021-2022 Professional Arts Project Fellow awarded by the Arts Council for Long Beach. In 2019, she had a solo exhibition at the Dr. Maxine Merlino Gallery at California State University, Long Beach that explored epigenetics and ancestral trauma. Her practice has been influenced by psychological researchers Dr. Joy DeGruy, Dr. Eduardo Duran and Carl Gustav Jung. Her work attempts to facilitate a conversation around how ancestral trauma is stored in our DNA and affects our mental health and daily lives.

GM: What was your path to becoming a photographer?

RVB: Ever since I was a little girl, I’ ve enjoyed capturing photographs. My journey to mastering my passion began in high school, when photography seemed to be the new “fad” and everyone was getting Canon or Nikon DSLRs. I first took pictures on my old pink Razor cell phone and a cheap digital camera in my first photography class in ninth grade. From there, I was hooked, and when my mother could finally afford to buy my very own DSLR camera, I had as many photo shoots that I could with my high school friends. I actually started my freelance photography practice in high school, [where I was] paid to take photos of local teen functions and friends’ photo shoots, which I’d then post on Facebook. [This is] what inspired me to pursue college and continue to study my passion. Due to life circumstances, it took me eight years to earn my BFA in Photography and a certificate in American Indian and Indigenous Studies from California State University, Long Beach in 2021. During undergrad, I started dabbling with video art, which I found to be a therapeutic extension of my love for photography. I’ ve had the honor of exhibiting my work in multiple art exhibitions since my undergrad studies, and have been blessed to now be a teaching artist in an all Black creative cohort that serves an academic enrichment program. Go Make Something Kids! is dedicated to teaching students’ resilience through artistic expression. In partnership with the non-profit Arts Council of Long Beach, we offer several in-school workshops to Long Beach middle school students that center youth experiences while exploring creative expression in artistic fields such as photography, business of art, and painting.

GM: What types of themes do you like to pursue in your photography practice?

RVB: My photography practice focuses on identity and ancestral trauma, specifically within the African diaspora, and how it affects our mental health in our daily lives. I utilize projection in experimental portraiture juxtaposed with collage, typically pulling from public archival Funkadelic aesthetics with text and imagery.

GM: You and I recently participated in a panel event that was organized by Black Women Photographers. You mentioned that you feel like artists who don’t have a BFA and/or MFA are often subjected to undue pressure or judged unfairly. Did you feel pressured to go to college?

RVB: I really appreciate this question because I can answer both – yes and no. Being a first-generation college graduate [is why] I believe I had more emotional support from my parents, who were just proud to see me going to college. [They didn’t] really understand the full scope of why I chose photography. But when I found myself sharing my major choice to other adults/parents, most of them being Black, and I was surprised with how much doubt and negative feedback was expressed in my pursuit of a fine art degree. It really pushed me to stick it through, despite many obstacles during the eight years it took to finish school.

[I wanted] to prove all of those people wrong and inspire my friends who didn’t get that same emotional support to master their passions in higher education. Many don’t see the importance of an art degree, and it was disappointing during my undergraduate career to have so many talented friends who weren’t encouraged to choose their passions as degrees to only be unhappy during their time in college [in order] to simply satisfy their parents’ expectations of what they found most profitable.

GM: Could you talk about your guerilla documentary series, SEVENTY X SEVEN (2020)? What was the inspiration for this project and why did you make it when you did?

RVB: My guerilla documentary series, SEVENTY X SEVEN (2020), is a four-part introspection of seven Black fathers and their experiences living with Los Angeles County law enforcement. What triggered me to make this documentary series was the innumerable deaths of Black Americans that occurred specifically in 2020, with George Floyd’s filmed public murder being the most traumatic. (Continued)

Rejeana V. Black, Angelic Beings, 2021

Rejeana V.Black, Infinite Power, 2021

Having a Black father who has had countless traumatic incidents during his life with law enforcement, I felt compelled to hear and share the stories of those that survived their encounters with police and then have to live with the physiological aftermath that no one outside of the Black community understands. One of the seven Black dads that I interviewed is actually my father, who is the oldest out of the group at 65 years old, and he describes in grave detail some of his run-ins with the police. What was haunting to hear [was that] some of these events occurred within the past thirty years. I wanted to spread awareness of how such violent, negative experiences with police impact our Black men who do get to live another day, and how this trauma/fear is passed down epigenetically to our next generations.

GM: Are there any contemporary or historical photographers that inspire your practice?

RVB: Lorna Simpson, Carrie Mae Weems, Hank Willis Thomas, and Renell Medrano.

GM: What are you currently working on in your practice?

RVB: Currently I am working on a photograph series centered on the concept of sisterhood in the African diaspora, titled Yaaasss Sis! (2022), that I plan to exhibit in an upcoming group show in January 2023. The work is a lot lighter and joyful compared to what I’ ve been making in the past three years, turning my focus more towards the vitality of Black life and the importance of sisterhood in our culture. I am continuing my exploration with projection as well and will eventually publish them in a photo book.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. It took place in December 2022.