Jamel Shabazz's New York
One man's vivid record of a city's culture
Alex Q. Arbuckle
1980s
A boy does a backflip on a mattress in a lot in Brooklyn.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Jamel Shabazz first took up photography at the age of 15, and went on to create a peerlessly vibrant record of the city in the 1980s.Drawing inspiration from the works of socially concerned photographers such as Gordon Parks and Leonard Freed, Shabazz roamed the streets and subways of New York, making both candid and effortlessly posed images of the city’s diverse denizens, especially black and Hispanic communities.He shot his photos with one eye on the future, hoping to contribute to the recording of history and culture. While his images brim with a timeless sense of humanity, they are also full of highly specific signifiers of New York in the 1980s, from hulking boomboxes to flashy fashion and jewelry to graffiti-covered subways.In addition to a successful photographic career with dozens of international solo exhibitions, Shabazz has maintained close ties to his community, volunteering and mentoring children and advocating for youth art education.
A man strikes a pose in Brooklyn.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
A man poses with a boombox in Brooklyn.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
Lawrence and Tee pose on a sidewalk in Brooklyn.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
Men pose on the Lower East Side.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
A man identified as Malik stands in front of posters in Harlem.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
Two friends on the 2 train.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
Men on the Lower East Side.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
A portrait of a fellow photographer.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
A father and son in downtown Brooklyn.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
A Brooklyn man and his boombox.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
A man poses for a portrait in Brooklyn.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
A group portrait in Brooklyn.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
A Brooklyn man poses for a portrait.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
A model poses in Flatbush, Brooklyn.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
A man in downtown Brooklyn.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
An off-duty police officer poses on his car on the Lower East Side.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
A couple embrace in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.
Credit: Jamel Shabazz/Getty Images
