Jamel Shabazz is an American photographer renowned for his work in fashion, fine art, documentary, and street style photography. His published work can be found in books, exhibitions, and editorial magazine publications.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Jamel Shabazz began his photographic journey at the age of fifteen, documenting his peers and inspired by photographers Leonard Freed, James Van Der Zee, and Gordon Parks. In 1980, he embarked on a mission to extensively document various aspects of life in New York City, covering youth culture, social conditions, and the city's streets and subway system.
As a concerned photographer with a clear vision, Jamel Shabazz aims to contribute to the preservation of world history and culture. Over the past decade, he has showcased his work in over two dozen solo exhibitions across the globe, including "Men of Honor", "A Time Before Crack", "Pieces of a Man", "Represent", "When Two Worlds Meet", "Back in the Days," and "Seconds of my Life".
In addition to his solo exhibitions, Jamel Shabazz has participated in numerous group showings at prestigious institutions such as Art Basel, the Brooklyn Museum, the Newark Museum, the Contact Photo Festival, the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, Duke University, and the Adidas Photo Festival in Ethiopia.
Jamel Shabazz has also dedicated his time to volunteering and teaching, working with organizations centered on inspiring young people in photography and social responsibility. He has been a teaching artist with the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, the Bronx Museum's Teen Council youth program, The International Center of Photography, Friends of the Island Academy, and the Studio Museum in Harlem's Expanding the Walls Project.
Furthermore, Jamel Shabazz has lectured at the Fashion Institute of Technology, The International Center for Photography, The Brooklyn Historic Foundation, Haverford College, and Parsons New School of Design. He is the author of five monographs and has contributed to numerous others, with his latest work, "The Book of Life", currently in production.
