Courtesy of the artist.
Zayira Ray
Zayira Ray (b. 2000) is a photographer and artist based in New York City. She received a BFA in Photography and Imaging from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2023.
Ray’s photographs have been published in Vogue India, Vogue Magazine, The New York Times, ELLE, People Magazine, Architectural Digest, and ESSENCE, and exhibited at Christie’s Auction, PHILLIPS, MoMa PS1, and Photoville, among others. She has received recognition and awards from YoungArts, the Dedalus Foundation, and NASDAQ; and was the recipient of the 2024 YoungArts Baxter St Residency, culminating in her debut solo show “interthread” at Baxter Street Camera Club’s storefront gallery for one month.
Bony Ramirez
Craig Taylor
Dabin Ahn
Drew Dodge
Ina Jang
Ji Woo Kim
Jin Jeong
KangHee Kim
Sarah Lee
Shuyi Cao
Shyama Golden
Sophia Heymans
Yoora Lee
Yujie Li
Yuri Yuan
Zayira Ray
Image credit: © 2024 Christie’s Images Ltd.
memory/
I am the result of a culmination of love stories. My ancestors, my friendships, my sibling: these formative relationships continuously inspire and shape me. I grew up between New York and India. I would spend my summers in India looking at archival photos of my grandparents and great-grandparents, many of whom I will never meet but whose love stories, relationships, and sense of community paved the way to my existence. While I may never be fully privy to the intimacy and love that came before me, it is nonetheless embedded in me.
I’ve always been deeply romantic, a quality that is omnipresent in my work. It is important to me that my art not only reflects the platonic, romantic, and familial love stories that have guided my life but also acts as a safe space for those who sit in front of my lens. Some sitters are loved ones I know very closely, while others were complete strangers to me. The key for me has been to remove my personal connection to the sitters as best I can, instead honoring the unique relationship, partnership, or kinship in front of me with equal openness and respect.
I aim to capture the essence of these relationships while acknowledging the particularity of each one. I understand that I will never fully know my sitters the way they know themselves, and I must accept that I will never have ownership over their story or image. Releasing such authority is a beautiful thing–it liberates me to document people from all walks of life with tenderness and humility.
Digital photograph, 32 x 48 in.
line/
I started photography when I was 14. I grew up painting and drawing like so many other artists but was captivated by how the photographic medium can emulate the expressiveness of painting while relying on the literal fabric of everyday life. I didn’t begin shooting in a studio until a few years into my practice: in the beginning, I explored New York, taking photographs of people at subway stations and parks. I knew very little about photography and didn’t use lighting or modifiers at that time. I learned by practicing with the natural world, unchanged, which helped train my visual eye and hone my adaptability.Quite organically, I moved into fashion photography. I love fashion as an art form. The colors, textures, movement, lines, and forms harness the potential to create expressive, bold imagery. The director-centric nature of fashion photography also shifted my practice. My projects taught me how to be a good director, lead a set, and build an environment of trust. My current practice mixes those two worlds, often balancing conceptual planning and play or improvisation.
Photography is often seen as the literal, exact documentation of a visual image, but in my work, I want to leave room for ambiguity, curiosity, and the unknown. When paired with mediums like painting and collage, the result can be abstract and whimsical. The juxtaposition of mediums feels like a departure from the limits of traditional photography, creating a space for mythology.
color/
Photographic backdrops are often integral to traditional photographic portraiture. I became interested in the new avenues that might appear if I began creating my own backdrops. Painting my backdrops allowed me to move away from a sense of precision in my practice and toward a child-like freedom of expression. I spend days on all fours, painting 9-by-12-foot canvases, finding catharsis and healing in the process.The colors I choose for these backdrops are derived from my heritage and memories of my summers in India or my home in New York. They remind me of my mother oiling my hair every weekend or photographing my friends after school. I use indigo and turmeric to produce vibrant tones and use organic shapes and textures to evoke my sense of self and nostalgia. I created one backdrop during the monsoon season in New Delhi, rendering the specificity of that environment into the colors, textures, and line work of the painting. The backdrops translate these deeply individual, sensory experiences into communal ones.
The backdrop functions as a portal that can transport people to new worlds and realities. Carrying these canvases with me from New York to India, I experience how different people interact with these scenes depending on their place in the world. I love integrating people’s unique wardrobes, jewelry, and personalities into the scene. I want everyone who steps on these canvases to find a piece of home.
Amina Washington is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn, NY.