Paul Sepuya facts for kids

Paul Mpagi Sepuya (born 1982) is an American photographer and artist. He is known for his unique portrait photography. His art often explores the connection between the artist and the person being photographed. Sepuya's work aims to build meaningful relationships through his pictures.

Early Life and Education

Sepuya was born in San Bernardino, California. He moved to New York to study photography. In 2004, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. This was from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Later, he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in photography. He completed this at the UCLA Department of Art in 2016.

Artistic Style

Sepuya is famous for his portraits. A portrait is an artwork that shows a person. Artists use things like composition and color to show a person's personality. Sepuya often photographs other artists, his friends, and himself.

A key part of his style is fragmentation. This means viewers might see only parts of a body in his pictures. This technique creates a feeling of curiosity. It makes viewers want to see more. This helps people connect deeply with his art. Sometimes, his photographs are torn apart and reassembled. This gives them a deeper meaning. His photos also show his interest in the history of portraiture. He wants Black photography to be part of modern art discussions. His photo sessions usually happen in a familiar studio. This helps his pictures show his presence. It also highlights his connection with the people he photographs.

Career Highlights

Sepuya's series Studio Work (2010–11) shows his ongoing interest in portraits. It explores the close connection between the photographer and the person being photographed. This happens in the controlled space of a studio. His work looks at the personality of the portrait. It also examines the private moments that happen in a photo studio. Sepuya has said his studio was a "stage" he shared with others. He invited people to have their portraits taken there.

He finds ideas for his studio photography from other artists. These include Robert Mapplethorpe and art historian Brian O'Doherty. O'Doherty's book Studio and Cube is important to Sepuya's early work. Sepuya has been an artist-in-residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem. His art is also part of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art collection.

Sepuya has also published several art books. These include The Accidental Egyptian and Occidental Arrangements (2010). He co-created this book with artist Timothy Hull. He has also taken photos for magazines like I.D. and Kaiserin Magazine. Since 2005, he has self-published his own magazine called Shoot.

His art has been shown in many exhibitions. These include shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. His work has also been seen at The Studio Museum in Harlem. He has had solo exhibitions in cities like Chicago, Winnipeg, and Houston.

Sepuya mostly lived in New York until 2014. He is now an Associate Professor in Media Arts. He is also the MFA program director at the University of California, San Diego. He has also taught at CalArts and Bard College.

The Museum of Modern Art owns four of his photographs. His work was part of their 2018 show New Photography. In 2019, Sepuya's work was featured in the 79th Whitney Biennial. His photo Darkroom Mirror (_2070386) was on the cover of Artforum's March 2019 issue.

See also

• AA Bronson
• Slava Mogutin