texas isaiah
BIO
Texas Isaiah [He/They] is an award-winning, first-generation visual narrator born in Brooklyn, NY, and currently residing in Los Angeles, CA. In 2020, Texas Isaiah became one of the first Trans photographers to photograph a Vogue edition cover (Janet Mock, Patrisse Cullors, Jesse Williams, and Janaya Future Khan) and a TIME cover (Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union-Wade). He is one of the 2018 grant recipients of Art Matters and the 2019 recipient of the Getty Images: Where We Stand Creative Bursary grant. He is currently a 2020-21 artist in residence at The Studio Museum in Harlem.
In 2012, he created "BLACKNESS," a visual project that documented and celebrated the African diaspora's diversity across the spectrums of gender, sexuality, and ethnic heritage. At this time, he began to evaluate the broad visual needs of Black people, specifically Black trans, non-binary and gender-expansive individuals, within the larger photographic canon. As Texas Isaiah found himself photographing individuals who thought they didn't have a place as a sitter within photography, his approach began to prioritize a more thoughtful and compassionate visual world. He not only believes everyone has a right to be photographed if they consent, but he believes photography can be a healing mechanism despite the historical violence it has inflicted on communities. Although he has worked in a studio and various indoor settings, his interest in photographing individuals outdoors comes from personal curiosity and connection with nature.
As an autodidact, Texas Isaiah is interested in paving unconventional paths within the art, editorial, and commercial industries. He hopes to continue his photographic journey and create more affirming and supportive work environments for others because it allows us to self-actualize and meet our highest potential.
Press
Recent Projects
Pelada
"Pelada," which means naked or peeled, bears witness to Ms. Boogie in Cotuí, the Dominican Republic, considered one of the oldest cities in the Western Hemisphere. The first location, El Patio (The Yard), is where she spent a lot of time as an adolescent, hanging out with friends and basking in the beauty of the sun. We then move to her Grandmother's (Isabel Mieses) home (upcoming post), which her great- grandmother, Cristina Méndez, initially owned. The images underscore Ms. Boogie's return to her childhood and the intimacy she shares with her Grandmother. Their warm embrace signifies the realistic connectivity between Black trans people and their bio families. Although some active legislations and individuals wish to enact harm on all trans people, and more specifically trans girls and women, "Pelada" offers a glimmer of light on the people who deeply love and bear witness to us. Going back home to reconnect with family and the land is paramount to Ms. Boogie as she prepares for her debut album, The Breakdown, in the Fall of 2022. Photographed on @googlepixel for Creator Labs.
FLOWERS AT YOUR FEET
Texas Isaiah's new body of work Flowers At Your Feet offers a space for mourning, celebration, prayer, and remembrance. In this series of photographs, transmasculine, nonbinary, and gender expansive sitters Dash (he/him), Bearboi (Bear) (they/ them), and Lex (he/him) act as spirits who move across a lush landscape while suspended in a dream state, removed from the confines of binary systems and categorizations in a rare moment of rest. Here, Texas Isaiah asserts the significance of imagination in gender abolition, expands on the capacity of transmasculinity to support Black feminist practices, and explores rest as a place of connection to oneself and one’s ancestors. Altars dedicated to the lives and untimely deaths of Ki'tay Davidson, a Black transmasculine disability justice advocate, and Blake Brockington, the first openly trans high school homecoming king in North Carolina and an outspoken member of his community, provide moments for reflection. In a third altar, Texas Isaiah looks within, paying homage to his childhood and the people who have shaped his life. Throughout this installation, Texas Isaiah creates an environment for communion, bringing into the room Black writers and thinkers such as Sonia Sanchez, Audre Lorde, and Essex Hemphill through the titling of his work. Their words serve as waypoints for the imagining of expansive futures.
![texas isaiah - [we are] being held by the first time (2019).JPG](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62c4a8e85935046b68e07fe5/911e8f19-023c-4ad7-acb6-31cf15dd49de/texas+isaiah+-+%5Bwe+are%5D+being+held+by+the+first+time+%282019%29.JPG)
![Untitled - Ms. Boogie for Pelada [3].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62c4a8e85935046b68e07fe5/59b29cbb-8b92-42cb-a4fd-cb65474b70ad/Untitled+-+Ms.+Boogie+for+Pelada+%5B3%5D.jpg)