D’Angelo Lovell Williams, Contact High

Online Only

Contact High, both an artist’s book and a comprehensive exploration of D’Angelo Lovell Williams’s work, delves into the nuanced portrayal of desire and the Black body. Through narrative photography, Williams captures the diverse forms in which Black queer individuals exist—depicted as lovers, caregivers, and community members. This collection reflects Williams's personal experiences and questions surrounding race, class, sexuality, gender, and intimacy, forming a deeply layered exploration of representation.

The title Contact High highlights the significance of touch, gesture, and heightened senses within Williams’s photography. Through self-portraits and collaborations with the community, Williams stages the Black body in scenes that are dance-like, theatrical, and sometimes strikingly ordinary. These images point to collective histories and Black ancestral practices, blending spirituality with a quietly radical aesthetic. At the heart of these dialogic photographs are themes of kinship, care, and vulnerability, foregrounding Black and queer voices as the central authority.

With an unwavering gaze, Williams visualizes the dynamics between families, friends, lovers, and ancestors, crafting a spectrum of tenderness and resilience that challenges traditional depictions. By emphasizing the intimacy and authority of Black queer lives, Contact High reclaims narratives often overlooked in history, presenting a deeply resonant, complex, and human perspective.