“Black Velvet” is my attempt to capture the richness, complexity, and deep humanity of Blackness, while also reflecting on what it means to create images of Black people. This work isn’t just about celebrating Black identity—it’s about understanding it, questioning it, and showing it in all its layers and textures.

The title “Black Velvet” is both material and metaphor. Velvet is soft yet strong, textured yet smooth. It reflects light differently, much like Black skin does. It’s a fabric that holds both elegance and resilience, echoing how Black people carry beauty and strength, often in ways the world doesn’t fully understand. This series is about embracing those contradictions and complexities.

At its core, this exhibition asks two questions: What is Blackness? and What does it mean to make images of Black people? For me, these questions are deeply personal and collective. Through this work, I want to reclaim the power of the image, especially when it comes to Black lives. Photography has too often been used to shape or distort the stories of Black people. With “Black Velvet,” I hope to use the camera as a tool for truth and respect—showing my subjects in their full complexity and dignity, allowing them to exist as they are, unapologetically.

As a Black artist, I carry a responsibility in how I represent my community. These photographs aren’t just about the people in them—they are about all of us, about shared history, and about reclaiming how we are seen in the world. “Black Velvet” is my way of contributing to that conversation, of creating images that stand as an honest reflection of Black life.

I want this work to encourage viewers to see Blackness not as a monolith, but as something that feels, moves, and speaks differently for each person. Through this exhibition, I hope to offer a space where people can pause, reflect, and recognize the beauty, depth, and complexity that comes with being Black.

Chris Facey, a Brooklyn-raised photographer now based in Raleigh, NC, captures impactful moments that shape our world, inspired by Gordon Parks and W. Eugene Smith. Focusing on the African-American community, he brings sensitivity to his work, addressing racial injustices and stereotypes. Dedicated to spotlighting these stories, he launched “The Dad Duty Project” challenging stereotypes around absent fathers, and “Even In Death” highlighting an African American cemetery’s preservation. With a BFA from The School of Visual Arts and a background as a US Army veteran, Chris’s work has been featured in The New Yorker, New York Magazine, and The New York Times, and exhibited in galleries like The Golden Belt Gallery and The Bronx River Art Center. Through his storytelling, he drives visual activism, using photography for social change that engages emotions and sparks vital dialogue.