104 pages of Black Gold!

My photography centers on public health issues specific to inner city Black communities, such as health care, personal and external perception, structural issues, the 4 types of oppression (ideological, institutional, interpersonal, internalized) maternity (prenatal care, birthing practices and postpartum care), and more. 

I use photography, specifically photo voice, as a means of public health intervention. I do not simply want to document issues, rather I want to encourage or possibly create a solution to everyday problems specific to my community. 

The Grillz series is the most personal series I've shot. I am of West Indian descent and the daughter of a dentist. I grew up seeing friends and family members with gold teeth and caps. Over time I developed an appreciation for oral jewelry. I began photographically documenting grillz at hip-hop festivals. 

While speaking with those I was photographing, I started to learn the differences in oral jewelry practices among regions. For example, in New Orleans, most people remove their teeth and install permanent gold or diamond teeth in their place. In New York, many people wear gold caps; this comes from West Indian and Central American culture. In Texas, most people get two-toned grillz. While in Atlanta, most people get a full mouth of 22 karat gold grillz. 

I took my photo documentation a step further by dissecting the correlation between the wearing of grillz, gold caps and tooth replacements to the ratio of dental insurance coverage and hygiene in the Black community. Most inner-city Black people do not have dental insurance and when dental hygiene is not properly maintained, teeth rot rapidly, which then has immense effects on overall health. Many people wear oral jewelry as a means of protecting damaged, unhealthy, or lost teeth. 

The “Art of Grillz“ was my master thesis and I am actively using my photography as an intervention to bring awareness to this issue. 

Zines and books are hand made at JAH Art House, in BedStuy. Each book is signed by Jazz.