Artist Statement

Black American Southerners are the genesis of African American culture.

I feel that what's missing in the depictions of Black Southerners is a deeper, more personal dive into their lives by one of their own. So many non-Southerners portrayals are superficial and miss important nuances and Black Southern cultural references. The result too often is either a total omission of Black American Southerners or the repetition of the same dysfunctional tropes about them. By embracing themes of authenticity, belonging, community, and pride, my work aims to challenge that narrative.

My practice focuses on Pan-African cultural commonalities with a primary viewpoint from the Black American South; applicable to the global human experience. As my unique visual language continues to take form and develop through a practice driven by conversation and research, I hope to encourage the viewer to take a second look and explore more profoundly the lives, influences, and perspectives of the people, places, and objects I make images of.

My work is open to acquisition, adoration, and commentary from all people, but I always work with the intention of a Black audience.

Biography


Currently based in Mebane and Raleigh, North Carolina, Phillip “King Phill” Loken was born in Texas and has lived in various cities and towns across North Carolina since age four. His photography is intimately tied to his lived experiences as a Black man in the American South. He wants to capture the rich history and vibrant cultural expressions that influence the lives of the people he makes images of.


Loken's work has been exhibited nationally. This year, he will be exhibiting in Lake City, South Carolina’s ArtFields 2024 Competition. In 2023, his work was part of the, currently on view, It Ain't All Black And White group exhibition at Raleigh, NC's Block Gallery during Click! Photography Festival, and the group exhibition Black and White: 2023 at Black Box Gallery in Portland, Oregon. In 2022, Loken participated in the Give Black Raleigh Her Flowers' exhibition at Anchorlight Gallery in Raleigh, N.C.. In 2021, Loken participated in the exhibition BLACK GAZE: Representation, Identity, and Expression at The Light Factory Photo Arts Center.


As a professional photographer, Loken has worked with a variety of organizations and companies, including the City of Raleigh, CreativeMornings, the North Carolina Museum of Art, NoirBnb, Special Olympics North Carolina, and Woodforest National Bank. His photographs have also been licensed for use by the Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau, Verizon’s Go90 docuseries American Down Low, and Walter Magazine. Loken was featured in a documentary film, Creative NC: An Introspective Look at Creative Culture, which premiered in 2017 at the North Carolina Museum of History.


Extended Biography


All inquiries (Assignments, Bookings, Print Sales, etc.):

Contact@KingPhill.us

(919) 675-2156



@KingPhill_ on Social Media

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