Youth Community of Chicago

Dawoud Bey Photographs
Character Project
Mike, Chicago

In this photo there is a young caucasian man hugging a skate board in his arms. He is wearing a light blue rubber band on his left wrist and earrings on both ears. He is also wearing a white t-shirt under his purple and turquoise plaid button up. His eyes are as blue as the rubber band on his wrist. The hair on his head is sun kissed blonde and the hair on his face is white. His right forearm has a tattoo that is unclear because of the way he is hugging the board.

This man is standing in front of a concrete white wall.

The board design has a cloud on one end and a yellow hand reaching up on the other.

This is one photo out of the artist Character Project. This project is of different people in Chicago. The one photo I chose is Mike. All of the photos are taken with a different person/character in front of the same background, white concrete wall. No person in this Character Project are the same. Each are very unique in they're own way.

I believe the background was chosen to give a simple/plan light to the colorful study. (the study being the character, the person in the photograph)
Dawoud Bey is known for his color portraits of adolescents.
I feel that he was showing the viewer the diversity of the youth in Chicago.
Bey has said, “My interest in young people has to do with the fact that they are the arbiters of style in the community; their appearance speaks most strongly of how a community of people defines themselves at a particular historical moment.”


I enjoyed looking at all the photos as a whole. I believe they are attended to be this way. I thought his photos were a great depiction showing the youth community of Chicago.