How does Atlanta influence your photography style?
I believe being an artist from the
South, especially Atlanta makes you stand out. You can see the cultural influence in
everything that we create. It’s just an authentic style that we all have but it differs in so many
ways.
Can you talk about every day Atlanta, the little things, and how they inspire you? The people, the smells, the places, what is about Atlanta that is so magical?
Everything about this city is magical, it's so much to experience here. There is no other city
like Atlanta. Being surrounded by so many successful people who look just like you is
inspiring.
Today more than ever, being southern and from Atlanta especially, a place where so many Black icons are from is very special... Can you speak on that?
Like I said above
it’s very inspiring being in a city where there are so many successful people who look like
you. A city where the mayor is black, lawyers, judges, deans etc are all black. Atlanta
showed me that the sky's the limit.
Can you give some words that describe Atlanta, that shows in your work?
I
would say it feels like a warm hug, if that makes sense.
Where do you go from here? After Atlanta, where?
New York City
An Atlanta, Georgia native Kendall Bessent (b.1999), is a photographer and creative director based in Brooklyn, New York.
He uses his work to communicate his perception of the world around him; rather that be past, present, or future. His work explores the complexities of Blackness, in a way that they are shown in their purest forms. He highlights the beauty, strength, love, and happiness that are all a part of the Black experience. He intends for his work to instill self-love and confidence in people who look exactly like him. Bessent describes his work as 'unapologetically Black', and loves to capture and create blatant expressions of Blackness.