A LOVE LETTER TO ATLANTA

PHOTOS BY KENDALL “KENGOTRICH” BESSENT




Kendall “KENGOTRICH” Bessent




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.

https://kendallbessent.com/
@kendallbessent