Jackson Junge Gallery is proud to present The wait we carry, a solo exhibition by Chicago photographer, Clifton Henri. This series features eight photographs representing the experience of being Black in America. So often Black Americans are told to “wait” for change. However, waiting holds “weight” and that weight is heavy. The weight and heaviness that Black people have been carrying for 100’s of years continue to pass on, essentially passing the weight/wait on to the next generation. The wait we carry is a collection that has now become Henri’s most well-known and vulnerable body of work to date.

The wait we carry is a series that began in 2020, a year of social unrest, racial inequities, national news stories of police brutality, and personal changes in Henri’s life; all during a worldwide pandemic. This was a time in Henri’s life and career where he felt it was time to get more vulnerable with his work, and create a series as a form of expression, representation, and activism. “The murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter protests, the isolation of the pandemic – it was all so heavy. But I kept coming back to this idea of waiting. How we, as Black people have been told to wait for justice, for equality, for things to change. And then I started thinking about the weight of that waiting – how we carry it, how it gets passed down. That’s when I knew I had to create The wait we carry.”

The wait we carry combines multiple elements of Henri’s existing photography style as well as new additions collectors have not seen in previous works. Each photograph in this series layers texture, color, and narrative to create an entirely new concept for this series. Behind the subject of each photograph shows a textured background, most of which came from locations in Chicago, New Orleans, Ghana, and Cuba. The subject matter is the center of each photograph; all of which are children, a very intentional detail. “I feel like our children take on the burden of the inequities in our society. We do our best to protect them as they trek through life but also pass on to them a heaviness a child shouldn’t have to wear.” Henri also incorporates color and typography to not only draw the viewer in, but to additionally nod towards his background and interest in graphic design. All these elements create a new style of photography for Henri, which helps emphasize the shift in the conceptual themes for this collection.

When creating the title piece for this series, Henri wanted to translate the heaviness most Black parents feel of passing on trauma and struggle to their children. The wait we carry shows a young boy looking tired and defeated while carrying a large duffle bag. Military symbolism in this piece conveys the burden passed down through generations. “War is a battle fought by those who didn’t start it. Our children walk into a world that’s already stacked against them, and we try to protect them, but we also pass on the knowledge of survival, the weight of history. The helmet in the piece is armor, but it’s also a reminder that these battles shouldn’t be theirs to fight. The duffle bag is both a literal and figurative weight – what we carry, what we inherit.”

Another piece in this series that conveys struggle and fight is Heavy weight champ, which depicts a young boy in boxing headgear. “Boxing is survival. It’s strategy, endurance, knowing when to hit, and when to take a hit. Being Black in America is the same. ‘Heavy Weight Champ’ is about the exhaustion of constant fighting. The headgear, the stance – it’s preparation, but it’s also fatigue.” The boy’s headgear shows the branding “Everlast”, a detail that takes a whole new meaning. “The word ‘Everlast’ hit me hard. Because the fight isn’t new. It’s everlasting. But we don’t have the luxury of sitting it out. We have to keep swinging, even when the gloves feel too heavy.”

Horrific news stories of police brutality and violence against Black people in America is not a new occurrence, but in recent years has been getting more attention and awareness due to the Black Lives Matter movement and social media. Henri took inspiration from some of these news stories to create pieces that touch on the alarming rate of violence against Black Americans and the real names and stories behind the victims involved. In his piece titled, Now I lay, Henri memorializes Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old medical worker who was killed by police in her home. "Breonna Taylor was asleep in her own home. That fact alone is terrifying. When I created Now I lay I wanted to bridge the innocence of a bedtime prayer with the horror of her reality. Writing directly on the helmet was my way of making her memory inescapable. Breonna's murder is part of a cycle of sanctioned violence against Black women that this country often ignores. We can't let her name fade. We must say it over and over." Another piece in this series with a specific victim in mind is "Point and Shoot," which touches on the murder of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old who was fatally shot in 2012. Trayvon Martin's life was taken due to racial profiling, a topic that Henri highlights in this piece. "I wanted to make it plain - Black people are being targeted. The hoodie references Trayvon Martin, and the arrows point to the intentionality of this violence. America has demonstrated restraint when it wants to - there are mass shooters who walk away unharmed - but when the suspect is Black, it feels like there's no hesitation. The very act of being Black in public can be a death sentence."

Since its creation, The wait we carry has traveled across the country with Henri and received a variety of responses from viewers. Overall Henri reflects on the emotion that people feel when viewing this series. Tears are often a common response, but not always out of sadness and rather for being seen. He notices the response from parents and how this series relates to their feelings of parenthood. Children are also drawn to this series due to the bright colors and seeing themselves in the children subjects. Henri specifically points out the response from non-black parents and hearing how they talk to their children about the series. “Many parents create carefully crafted responses; some are bland and sugarcoated while others are much deeper.” Overall, emotion and feeling are something that Henri wants viewers to receive from this series. "I want people to see themselves in these images. To feel the weight. To recognize the patience and resilience but also the frustration and fatigue. But more than anything, I want people to understand that we can't just wait. Change doesn't happen in stillness - it happens in movement, in action. We've been carrying this weight for centuries. It's time we start putting some of it down."