Sean Turner

Talented Too is a series of portraits honoring Black men who have passed through the Parsons Photography BFA program and is intended to confront a longstanding exclusion within The New School. Through intimate portraiture and optical illusions, Turner both critiques institutional erasure and celebrates the visibility of Black men. The portraits are framed in ovals and lit to evoke classical photography, emphasizing legacy. The illusion disrupts the expected gaze, reminding viewers that visibility can be complex, layered, and often painful. This project affirms the presence and resilience it takes to graduate from these programs as a Black man in the arts. 

Sean Turner is a photographer born in Brooklyn, New York. His work examines vulnerability, race, and gender through portraiture.