“For me it is important to feel proud to take up space and to share that joy and acceptance with others. Butterflies do not hide their wings and neither should we.” - Rakeem Cunningham
Rakeem Cunningham is a multimedia artist and photographer based in Los Angeles, California. Using photography, collage, installation, and video to explore the nuances of queer black experience, Cunningham photographs himself playing and posing in the studio, informed and surrounded by a multiverse of niche subcultures. Each portrait is a declaration of subjectivity and existence—proof of self-validation and an ongoing healing journey.