Fotograf Magazine

Carrie Mae Weems is one of the key figures of American photography
who asserted themselves on the scene during the second half of the 20th
century, all strongly influenced by the dynamic social events of that time.
This is why it is no surprise that Weems cannot be labelled as an artist
without also recalling her activist side and the political subtext found in her
works. Weems, who originally studied dance, started taking photographs
when she was a member of a workers’ movement and used a camera to
track what was happening around her. She soon shifted her focus from
documentary to artistic photography, although documentary techniques
remained identifiable in her photos, particularly the earliest ones.