Andre D. Wagner: Be Free

For more than a decade, Andre D. Wagner has explored and documented New York City street life, with a particular focus on the changing landscape of his Bushwick, Brooklyn neighborhood. Born in Omaha, Wagner moved to New York in 2011 to pursue a master's degree in social work, but photography became his calling. Wagner’s work and practice fits into the lineage of street photography that investigates the American social landscape and highlights themes of race, class, and social identity. He is also committed to the traditional photographic processes, developing his own black-and-white negatives and making gelatin silver prints in his personal darkroom.
Wagner is a photographer living and working in Brooklyn, New York. His photographs have been commissioned by The New Yorker, The New York Times, Esquire, W Magazine,The Wall Street Journal, ESSENCE, The Washington Post, TIME, Vogue, among other publications. For the movie Queen & Slim Wagner photographed the iconic key art and the campaign's leading images. His photographs have appeared in a number of solo exhibitions and group shows in Los Angeles, New York and North Carolina. His first monograph, "Here for the Ride," was published by Creative Future in 2017. He is currently editing a 10-year body of work titled "New City, Old Blues."
Learn more about the artist on their website: www.andredwagner.com/
This talk took place on April 3, 2024 and was hosted as part of the Spring 2024 Visiting Artist Lectures in Photography at the Yale School of Art. Organized, and with an introduction by Jeremy Grier, Photography MFA '25. Administrative support by Allyse Corbin, Senior Administrative Assistant. Video editing by Lindsey Mancini, Assistant Director of Communications.