Shabez Jamal

Shabez Jamal (born 1992 in St. Louis, MO) is an interdisciplinary artist and educator based in New Orleans, LA. They currently hold the position of Harnish Visiting Assistant Professor. Jamal’s work interrogates the temporal and metaphysical dimensions of photographic imagery, memory, and identity within physical, political, and socio-economic spaces, particularly focusing on Black communities and queer perspectives.

Education:

• B.A., University of Missouri - St. Louis (2019)
• M.F.A., Tulane University (2022)

Jamal’s research explores the recursive nature of photography as a medium for redefining racial and sexual identity through self-portraiture, installation, and experimental video. Their practice bridges art and scholarship, emphasizing the role of memory and ritual in resisting erasure.

Scientific Awards:

• Mellon Community-Engaged Research Fellowship
• Harvard University’s In the City Fellowship
• Washington University’s The Divided City Research Grant

Jamal’s exhibitions, such as I’ve been here before…, highlight collaborations with emerging Black artists who use the photograph’s capacity to evoke loss, restoration, and futurity. Their work spans mediums including video, sculpture, and archival reconstruction, often addressing themes of redlining, the Great Migration, and fugitive spiritual traditions.