To Kierra Branker, 27-year-old photographer based in Orlando, the objects placed in her images feel alive. “It could be a domino set and you have that memory from when you’re first a kid and you’re seeing all the aunties and uncles slamming dominoes together while music’s playing and people are hitting spoons on bottles,” she says. Branker’s photographs often evoke the spirituality of heirlooms and spaces and the intergenerational meaning they take on in our lives. In her project “Get It and Come Back,” she presents the moments and artifacts that chronicle her family history as it has developed between Orlando and Trinidad. The meaningfulness of these objects is not fixed to one generation.
“Get It and Come Back” was awarded a grant during this season of the Creator Labs Photo Fund, part of a joint effort between Google and Aperture to provide financial support for photographers at a pivotal moment in their careers. For this round of awards, announced today, they were able to grant $6,000 to each of the 30 rising photographers selected for the prize. Many of these projects become platforms for self-reflection with the photographers using the camera to understand — and place themselves in — the world around them. Among the winners are photographers Natalie Keyssar, Oji Haynes, Ryan Frigillana, Luis Corzo, Wesaam Al-Badry, Jeremy Grier, Ryan Patrick Krueger, Ira Lupu, Arlene Mejorado, Tam Stockton, Clara Shuku Mokri, and Ramona Jingru Wang. The varying perspectives at hand do not take for granted past narratives and use photographs to assign new meaning to the past, present, and future.
Branker’s images plant you right there in the scene with the subject. When asked about the artifacts in her photos that connect her to her sense of home, she talks about a fake bouquet of flowers that could easily have been ignored. But she remembers an image of her grandmother holding that bouquet, imbuing her photograph with a feeling of familial history. Branker carefully arranges her scenes with artifacts of significance to her, like the bouquet, and sometimes includes people who sit for her lens, during which she elevates them to a position of power. “As a Black femme photographer,” the Parsons-educated artist says, “it’s really important that I’m holding the camera. As you know, it has not been up to us to have the privilege to hold on to it.”
How do you choose the people you photograph?
Finding people I want to photograph comes down to my family and whether or not they’re feeling open or receptive to it. A lot of the people I photograph embody this kind of worldliness about them that I really enjoy: those who have seen things, and you don’t even have to know what their home looks like, but you know it’s filled with stuff and character about them — and there’s an ease that comes with that. When finding them, I consider it like a collaboration because the photograph is never just my interpretation of them.
When I’m looking at my sitters, I’m always considering those small things that make them feel a little bit more powerful. For example, if it’s a book that they’ve read down to the end, I’ll have it in line of sight for them to see. Since I’m photographing a lot of people either in their places of comfort or their homes, I try to make them as comfortable as possible so they are able to see connections toward themselves and also just feel that they could do what they would do and move as if I wasn’t there.
Where do you get your best culture recommendations?
I hate to say it: TikTok. I’m always down to watch people do unboxing or just talk about their day or a book that they’re reading. I’m very much into #BookTok and the #PhotoTok that’s happening there, too.
Which celebrities — dead or alive — would you invite to a dinner party?
Probably Gabrielle Union — I feel like she would have a lot to say. She’s also a Scorpio too, so I enjoy that. Doja Cat too. Definitely Beyoncé and then definitely Megan Thee Stallion because she seems like she would have a great time. Cicely Tyson — in case it gets too much, she would be like, “All right, y’all, let’s talk about something else.”
What’s the last meal you cooked for dinner?
I literally made four recipes yesterday: taquitos, stuffed burgers, a chocolate cake, bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers. I was photographing it. I’m not really a big cook.
What is your pre-shoot ritual when you work on your personal projects?Meditating. I’ll try to write a couple of words and go through my image archives, looking for elements that express how I want the shoot to go or the feeling I want to elicit when taking the photo. My archive is filled with images that really inspire me, both in my personal collection as well as other works. Last, I look through my camera equipment, making sure I have everything I need.
I can get really nervous before shooting. For example, last year I was shooting at the Labor Day carnival in Brooklyn, and it was, like, my first time kind of being in that kind of space, especially because of the pandemic. I felt my heart moving and had to take a beat, move with it, and dive in.
What’s your comfort rewatch?
Futurama. I love that show. I’ve seen it more than enough. I like that it’s based in the future and that the comedy feels a little on the nose but also has layers to it. You’ll see the first joke and then you’ll have a rewatch and realize they were talking about something different. The show also has moments where it’s really accurate with the science and math that they joke about, and that level of care put into the writing makes it even better.
What’s something you’ll never, ever want to watch no matter what?
I watch a lot of crazy television, a lot of reality TV — it’s a guilty pleasure. I’m not on the Tubi wave yet, and my friends have been talking about it, but I can only go so far with my trash television. I feel like that’s Pandora’s box, and I don’t wanna open that right now.
What’s your favorite game to play?
Probably Uno even though I’m not that good at it. I mean, I could be pretty good. I get really competitive because I love the energy of Uno, and the way people make their own rules becomes a whole thing. I feel like you could really understand a person if you play Uno with them or how they react if you hit the reverse card.
Name a book you couldn’t put down.
Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler. Unfortunately, I read a lot of my books on my phone, but in this case, I found a copy of it and I read all the way through. I found many parallels toward everything happening, as Miss Butler always does, because she has a good understanding of the past and history.
The main character is really hyperempathetic and just really likes to understand how people are moving throughout the space. It made for such an interesting plot with a character who is seeing apocalyptic things happening around her, processing all of this pain that’s not really experienced by herself but by the people around her and how that helped to make her a better leader and a survivor.
What’s your favorite piece of art that you own?
I have too many, I’m realizing now. This one I bought in Orlando, my hometown, at this African gift store, Three Masks Inc. It’s two little Black cherubs just, like, floating next to some flowers. I can’t read the artist’s name because it’s in cursive and it’s really small, but I was happy to find it at the gift shop. The owner had a lot of prints.
What’s the worst thing you could do at a dinner party?
Bringing wine to a party and taking it back with you after.
Where do you feel most connected and comfortable with yourself?
My grandmother’s house in Trinidad, being able to see where my mom grew up and had her childhood home. It feels so distant to how I’m living now. In Trinidad, it’s in the back of the woods — it’s quiet and it’s lush and while Florida is very lush too, the side I live on is very suburban and has pretty pavements.
Inside my grandmother’s home, she would decorate very ’70s. I still remember the uncomfortable mid-century-modern chairs that she had that were literally just wood, super-yellow Styrofoam on the inside, and floral on the front, then there was a picture of white Jesus on the side. Those little moments make me really think about my family — my grandmother especially.
How do you think Florida and Trinidad influence your work?
Definitely tropical. Always tropical. I’m always thinking about the forest, thinking about our relationship to nature. I think about how we’re building spaces for ourselves, connecting identity to them, be it either in Florida or Trinidad, and how the world around us responds to it. It feels like home is never really far and home is also what you make it, and you have the opportunity to kind of, like, create something new but still familiar in a way that can connect to all these different places.
Which photographers and artists inspire you?
Black femme photographers and image-makers are understanding of the greater narrative of our connection to nature and our response to trying to get back to this moment where things were not affected by colonization and capitalism. I feel like Carrie Mae Weems and how she responds with her body with these scenes of architecture and the forest is really profound.
April Bey’s work and how she’s incorporating AI to take it even a step further into understanding, like, our future, past selves.
I really love Renee Cox’s work and how she speaks on gender. I love her Pieta series. She has this one image I’ve been obsessed with: She’s wearing this supertight corset and you see the camera kind of looking from the waist up and only see her back, not even her head, and the patent-leather corset is really tight. I always go back to that image, especially when thinking about gender and thinking about how, as femmes, we are to be shown and presented but not to be understood.
What is your most prized possession?
My rocks. I’ve been building my rock collection since 2020. I know a couple of the names, but it’s lost on me now. But it’s really beautiful. One particular rock that I enjoy could fit in your palm, and it really feels heavy. I always like to hold on to that whenever I feel I need to be grounded in any way.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
“Do it scared.” I can be very scared to do things at certain times, but I had a friend tell me that even if you’re scared to do it, still do it and those scary feelings will go somewhere else. But at least you can say that you did it.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Photographer Kierra Branker Brings Artifacts to Life
We have all been there! Out and about on a photo shoot, trying to photograph a beautiful landscape or during a portrait session, and then something happens, which annoys you to your core. Join me in this article as I discuss some of the frustrations I have experienced.
One evening, I fancied photographing a beautiful lighthouse in New Brighton, UK at sunset as the tide was coming in. I was all set up, $3,000 camera gear on tripod, amazing light and scenes all around me, when suddenly, a man walks right up beside me, pulls out his cellphone, and quickly snaps an image. The man, happy with his shot, turns to me and shows me the photo and says, “nailed it.”
Like, seriously dude! Yes, cellphones are capable of capturing nice images under the right conditions, but you do not just stroll up to a photographer and take the mickey in that way! Me being me, I was just like: “yeah, good job mate” and let him carry on about his day. I could not help but be amused at the cheekiness of this person and his outright bluntness, but at the same time, it was annoying because the person could not help themselves by trying to rub it in.
Of course, it is not really a big deal, and it was just silly, so I do not hold a grudge by any means, and as soon as the moment was over, I could just laugh about it.
Last year, I travelled to the Isle of Mull, Scotland in the hope of photographing otters. Each day, myself and fellow photographer Adam Russell would head out on the road, driving along the beautiful coastline, looking for these iconic creatures.
One morning, we are driving along, and I spot an otter diving in the loch. I shout out to Adam to stop the car so I can make a dash for the shoreline. I duck down behind a large boulder, as field craft is very important with wildlife photography. We want to ensure there is minimal disturbance to the wildlife by staying as invisible and quiet as possible while also keeping downwind of them.
I had a great position, and I was photographing a family of four otters. Behind me, I noticed another car was driving slowly along the road, looking for otters as well. The driver then spots me as I was still behind a boulder, and he parks in a passing place (this alone is a big no-no on the Isle of Mull), he leaves the engine running, and loudly gets out of his car and approaches the otters. The man had no idea what he was doing, and I could see the otters were getting startled. I waited until the otters took a dive for more food, and then I shouted at the guy to “get down!”
Thankfully, he did get down, and I later explained to him about using field craft techniques to photograph wildlife such as otters.
Now, this is not something where someone else has annoyed me, but more so where I have annoyed myself! I’m sure many of us have been there. You head out with the hope of photographing something, you reach your destination, and get your camera out. Thinking you have everything ready, you press the shutter button, only to get that dreaded message “Please insert SD card” or something along those lines. Of course, silly sausage here, left my SD card back at home, about a one-hour drive away, so the shoot was pretty much ruined!
Needless to say, that is a mistake I’ve never made again, and I always ensure that I have spare cards in both of my camera bags no matter what.
A few years ago now on Christmas Day, my wife and I drove to a small village in Scotland to get some shots at night, as it was very foggy and atmospheric. I was happily photographing away and was stoked with some of the images I captured. I packed up and put my stuff in the car.
We proceeded to drive away and suddenly heard a couple of loud bangs on the roof of the car, but then, it stopped. We assumed it was the low tree branches near us that hit the roof, so we just carried on.
Fast-forward a week, and I was heading out for another shoot. I started looking for my tripod everywhere, but to no avail. I searched the house high and low, and then thought: “Oh, I last used it on Christmas Day, so maybe it is still in the car.”
Nope, silly me, I left it on the roof of the car, and that is a tripod I never got back! Annoyed! My own fault, though, and just like the forgotten SD cards situation, this was a mistake that I will make sure will never happy again.
I don’t know about you, but if you do a portrait session with a client and deliver beautiful images, is there anything worse than the client putting a stupid filter on it and sharing it on Facebook, ruining the art that you have created? Not only have they ruined the aesthetics of your image, but if they tag you on their edited version of it, it makes you look crap!
While that has only happened to me only once or twice in so many years of shooting, crikey, it is annoying! I have heard of lots of other photographers who have had issues like that too as well.
Customers: Once you receive those edited images, please do not re-edit them!
So yeah, there have been a few things over the past several years that I’ve found annoying, some from other people and a few self-inflicted situations. We all make mistakes and can be annoyed by them, but these things happen. Forgetting SD cards or losing a tripod is not the end of the world. They bother you at the time, but que sera sera.
I would love to hear some of your stories down below at things that have happened to you by others or even things you have done.
Nestled in the picturesque town of Villago, a short distance from the heart of Kyiv, the Mlynchik Residence, designed by Sivak+Partners, is a vibrant interior full of colors, patterns, and unique decor. The architects created a one-of-a-kind living experience that showcases the personalities of its owners and the craftsmanship of local artisans.
The journey of the Mlynchik Residence began in October 2019 when Sivak+Partners took on the challenge of transforming the interior of one of the identical cottages into a radiant and welcoming space. While the exterior of the cottages may appear uniform, the interior vision reflects the client’s deep appreciation for colorful patterns and cozy atmospheres.
One of the initial hurdles faced by the team was the geographical distance between their main office in Odesa and the construction site in Kyiv. To maintain the project’s momentum, the dedicated design team made the arduous journey to the site every two weeks. However, this obstacle only fueled their determination to bring the client’s dream to life.
The client’s passion for travel and their penchant for collecting vintage decor and textiles from around the globe drove the design. Inspired by the captivating Moroccan style – a fusion of various objects, patterns, and colors – the design team set out to incorporate these unique treasures into the project. The result is a space that effortlessly showcases the client’s individuality and wanderlust.
The Mlynchik Residence is a two-story home complete with a spacious garage and a sprawling outdoor area. What sets this project apart is the meticulous attention to detail, with 90% of the furniture being made custom by local craftsmen.
An eclectic blend of textures, patterns, and thoughtfully curated colors fill the living space with a luxurious aesthetic while ensuring a comfortable and inviting atmosphere.
Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.
Inside the Paris office of the PAD art and design fair the walls are lined floor to ceiling with black and white portraits. “They are all the dealers who have ever taken part in PAD,” explains Patrick Perrin, the fair’s founder-president. This monumental family photo album is a fitting tribute as, hot on the heels of the 25th anniversary for PAD Paris in March, the London edition celebrates its 15th fair this year (10-15 October). It will return to its black tent venue in Berkeley Square with 62 galleries from 16 countries across Europe, Asia and North America. Thirteen of these are new faces soon to appear on the office walls.
Nine new galleries will be exhibiting contemporary design. “There is a move from 20th-century design towards the 21st-century. Contemporary design has matured as a style and as a market. This is the main change in the past 15 years,” Perrin says. PAD London will be showing more young contemporary galleries and designers than ever for this edition. One is the Indian gallery Æquõ, which exhibited at PAD Paris in March to great acclaim. It will premiere enamel, wooden, silver and brass pieces by the French women designers Florence Louisy and Valériane Lazard.
The first-time exhibitor Objects With Narratives will show works by Mircea Anghel, such as Lose Control Table (2021) Courtesy of Mircea Anghel and Objects With Narratives
The Swiss-Belgian gallery Objects With Narratives is also making its London debut after an appearance at PAD Paris. “PAD is the sole gathering ground for today’s most prominent designers and collectors, positioning it as a benchmark for collectibles and where the realms of design and art converge,” says Robbe Vandewyngaerde, the gallery’s co-founder. It will present a show of gravity-defying wooden furniture by Mircea Anghel and bronze lighting pieces by Vladimir Slavov.
Another new gallery, Galerie Philia (which has spaces in Switzerland, Mexico, US and Singapore), will stage the exhibition Gravity and Grace, displaying new onyx works by eight international designers and artists including Studiopepe, Pietro Franceschini and Andres Monnier. “It feels like a pivotal time to become a part of PAD’s community,” says Ygaël Attali, the co-founder and director of Galerie Philia. “As the first dedicated design fair in London, PAD holds an unparalleled position within the contemporary design sphere, and its unwavering commitment to showcasing and nurturing the evolution of design resonates deeply with us.”
Despite the growing popularity of contemporary design, there will be no shortage of Modern design masters. Highlights include a desk by the French designer André Sornay that can be transformed into a games table (Galerie Marcelpoil); 20th-century Brazilian furniture by Lina Bo Bardi, Jorge Zalszupin and Jose Zanine Caldas (JCRD Design); and 1950s pieces by the French pioneers Jacques Adnet and Line Vautrin (Unforget). The fair will also feature eight jewellery dealers including Boghossian, Hemmerle and Taffin and the first-time exhibitor Elie Top, which will show designs inspired by fierce animals.
Emerald bouclier ring by Elie Top Courtesy of Elie Top
PAD is hoping to finally return to “normal” this year after two years of online-only activity because of the pandemic, and last year’s real-life edition that was still in part subject to Covid restrictions. Other hurdles are also easing. Last year, Perrin reported soaring production costs with suppliers increasing their fees by 20% to 50%. “It’s getting a little bit better,” he says. “We are not surprised anymore. We make sure we get costs upfront.” And still causing a headache are the Brexit-related changes in legislation for shipping and customs. “Last year it was a complete nightmare,” Perrin admits. “Now we are getting used to it.”
Stephane Custot, the owner of Waddington Custot and a former co-founder of the PAD fair, says he has missed its presence on the London scene. “I am already looking forward to its unique atmosphere,” he says. “PAD is like an exclusive club of art and design lovers and connoisseurs, who return again and again through the run of the fair.”
Patrick Perrin, founder-president of PAD © Anna Kaminova
So what do the next 15 or 25 years look like for PAD? Expansion is not the main goal for Perrin, who says that PAD London has reached its size limit in its present location. He is happy with what Custot describes as a “manageable, human” sized fair. “It’s always about expansion, more space, more money, more everything,” Perrin says. “I’m too old for that now. I prefer to be quiet and consistent.” That being said he has tested the design-fair waters in other cities over the years including New York, Geneva and Monte Carlo. He now has his eyes set on exploring a possible boutique-sized summer fair in Saint-Tropez.
Ultimately, Perrin believes the market for design will continue to grow and increasingly be seen as accessible. “The prices of design are quite reasonable—you can have a very nice design collection for less than £10,000. This is absolutely impossible in contemporary art or ancient art. It’s more about taste and pleasure than money,” he says. “Design is something you live with, not put in the bank.”
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