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A special exhibition, created by noted visual artist Jon Henry, Stranger Fruit’s thought-provoking images are the artist’s reflection on the black family—his own and the community at large. And, then, he strives to take a deeper look at the mother/son relationship in the wake of the murders of African American men due to police violence. The title of the project is a reference to the song “Strange Fruit,” immortalized by Billie Holiday. Instead of black bodies hanging from the Poplar Tree as in the song, these sons of our families, our communities, are being killed in the street.
The images ask the questions: Who is next? Me? My brother? My friends? How do we protect these men? Lost in the furor of media coverage, lawsuits and protests is the plight of the mother, who is left to carry on without her child. Jon Henry captures mothers with their sons in their environment, reenacting what it must feel like to endure this pain. The mothers in the photographs have not lost their sons, but understand the reality—that this could happen to their family. The mother is also photographed in isolation, reflecting on the absence. When the trials are over, the protesters have gone home, and the news cameras are gone, the mother is left. Left to mourn, to survive.
Stranger Fruit was recently selected by Brooklyn’s noted Smack Mellon as a one of the 2017 Hot Picks and the project was also on the short list for the Lucie Foundation Grant, which promotes and nurtures the cultivation, promotion, and appreciation of Fine Art Photography worldwide.
Jon Henry is an artist, born and raised in Queens, New York. He studied at CUNY Queens College and New York Film Academy. He is a visual artist working primarily with photography in a fine art context.
For Prints or other inquiries: info@JonHenryPhotography.com
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