23 Pairs

Silver gelatin print

16” x 20”

Chromosomes contain DNA, which provides genetic information that makes each living thing unique. A karyotype is an image of an organism’s chromosomes. My dreadlocks resemble the appearance of these thread-like structures, so I cut strands of my hair to suggest a karyotype.

An image of chromosomes is usually created by staining and photographing them through a microscope. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, the 23rd pair being the sex chromosomes, which determine the reproductive anatomy of a newborn. Since birth, our ideas of gender have been constructed based on the genitals, informing how one orients throughout the world.

I am inspired by pioneers in the history of photography like Man Ray, sometimes considered the father of the photogram. He placed objects on a piece of photographic paper, and then exposing it to light. The shadows of the objects on the surface are what produced the image. I too focus on the key principles of making a photograph—light, and shadow.

I am drawn more to the process of experimentation than the final result, so cameraless photography techniques challenge me to approach the darkroom differently than conventional practices. There are infinite ways to transform the surface of the photographic paper. Hair, as one of the most visible ingredients of one’s identity, articulates and informs the public about our own internal feelings. By appropriating the image of a human male karyotype, I create a new dimension to the work by incorporating my own DNA (my hair) to perform as chromosomes.

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