Recorded remotely on 31st May 2020 during lockdown, Gem chats to leading photographer and artist Shaniqwa Jarvis, best known for her fusion of modern fashion aesthetics with sensitive and emotional portraiture. Her approach captures vivid reality across a wide range of subjects, each frame imbued with profound optimism. 

In this conversation, we explore how Shaniqwa found photography, how she entered the creative industry at the turn of the century and all she had to overcome to be the iconic artist she is today. She pressed on through an industry that still to this day is rife with systemic racism and sexism, creating space, not only for herself but for the next generation. She brings focus to the institutional changes urgently needed to ensure the value and worth of new Black and Brown photographers remains intact. She asks, "If there is no worth put on black lives, so how in turn is there suppose to be worth on black art?” We learn about Social Studies, the mentoring program she co-founded for Black and Brown photographers that connects youth communities to creators through curated programming. We explore her collaborations with brands like Adidas, SNS, The Standard Hotels Group and Supreme and what this aspect of her practice means to her. We find out about her sold out self-titled monograph, which documents two decades of her practice and how it shifted the perception and awareness of her work on a global scale. We discuss her joy of collaboration, why portraiture is such a deeply personal endeavour for her and hear about her recent shoot with Erykah Badu.

Follow @sheekswinsalways on Instagram and visit shaniqwajarvis.com to see her wider portfolio. Shaniqwa is represented by IMG Lens. Follow Gem @gemfletcher on Instagram and Twitter. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to The Messy Truth, we will be back very soon. For all requests, please email [email protected]

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