Dawoud Bey: Various works (1983)

Overview

As a photographer and educator, Dawoud Bey is celebrated for his rich, psychologically compelling portraits. He is renowned for his explorations of different formal and material methods, which connect profoundly with the local communities he photographs.

David Hammons, Bliz-aard Ball Sale I (1983) and David Hammons, Bliz-aard Ball Sale II (1983) are iconic photographs that capture the mythological artistic figure, David Hammons. The intent here is to present the artist as an ‘anonymous disreputable hawker’ as he is seen selling snow balls on the city streets. The snow balls are laid out neatly, consistent in shape and size. The work refers to the absurdity of selling a commodity that does not hold any significance for the person buying them. The ephemeral nature of the snow balls evokes a sense of absence and erasure, reflecting a part of the African-American condition in the USA during the 1980s.