With his new show, Yusuf Ahmed is challenging traditional expectations of who belongs in the narrative of American history. Between Nostalgia and Dreams showcases Ahmed’s breathtaking photographs that explore the identities of young Black, brown and queer adults through the use of objects of their choosing that represent their personal history and resilience.
It’s a direct act of defiance against efforts by Donald Trump’s administration to erase marginalized communities from history through the banning of DEI and Black history in the federal workplace.
“We’re looking at an administration that’s trying to distort history, suppress the archives, and remove any display or representation of our identities,” Ahmed says. “I think it’s important, especially here in the US, to continue pushing [the] message forward that we exist, that our lives are expansive, and that we hold so many different identities.”
Ahmed has embodied many identities. He was born in Ethiopia and later moved to Kenya between the ages of five and10. After living in Kenya, his family came to the United States, where he grew up in Ohio, and he now resides in Harlem, New York.
Migrating from one place to another, Ahmed has learned to assess which belongings to keep and which to leave behind. During his journeys, one item he never went without was his archive of the more than 300 images he made of his sister when he was 11.
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