Triggered: Kacey Jeffers

“Ajak in the kitchen” from the portrait series, Uncontrived, 2017

Text and Image by Kacey Jeffers

In 2016, going into 2017, racial tensions were heightened in the U.S. One year prior I had moved to New York from Nevis. It was a lot emotionally. I had grown up in a black country, moving to the U.S, seeing people who look like me losing their lives every day to police brutality was jarring. 

This image is part of a series that ran on Vogue.it entitled Uncontrived. It featured 5 incredible black models from all parts of the world. Collaborating with stylist Nick Nelson, hairstylist Pascale Poma, and make-up artist Angie Parker, I wanted to use beauty and presence to convey a sense of authenticity, normalcy even, of women, models who happen to be black, in a familiar and intimate way: Here in her kitchen, perched on a stool painting her toes, she could be someone’s mom, a cousin, a friend, a sister, a lover. 

The series referenced the work of Carrie Mae Weems’s, ‘ The Kitchen Table Series.’ It was a turning point for me as an artist, I proved to myself I could use my culture, the people I know, to create timeless images with universal appeal; I felt empowered to trust my vision. When I’m shooting I operate on instincts and feelings. Sometimes it requires some direction to get there, but Ajak is one of the best models in the world. I gave her a narrative and she emoted it beautifully–with such vulnerability. The whole process was very cathartic. 

Check out more of Kacey’s work on his website and Instagram (@kaceyphoto)